Konoha's Prophecy
by narp73
Summary: Naruto is told a prophecy that Konoha will be attacked and what will happen to him if he is there when it happens. What will Naruto decide? Can Madara be defeated? NaruSaku
1. Chapter 1 - The New Mission

Author's Note: This is my first fanfiction. I have read hundreds of these and I wanted to give my idea a shot. I know how to start and I have (what I think) is a unique way to end it. Little torn about the middle though. Honestly, I would love for someone to volunteer to beta this story. I have it about 80% finished on my computer. I really just wanted to see if my ideas are comparable to any of the other amazing stories I have read on here. Fair warning, my story consists of several flashbacks which I have tried to make as short as possible, just to indicate a character's thoughts. My chapters will most likely bounce back and forth from action filled to thought filled. I really hope you enjoy my story. Please let me know how I am doing. Sorry for the long author's note.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 1 – The New Mission

Naruto was sweating out of every pore in his body. He had been fighting for hours and had bruises and cuts all along his body. The Kyuubi couldn't keep up with the number of wounds he was receiving and even his renowned stamina was wearing thin. The battlefield was riddled with craters and toppled trees caused by wayward jutsus and powerful strikes that could only be caused by the strongest of warriors.

The orange clad ninja couldn't remember the last time he had been so pressed during a fight. His opponent was incredibly fast and strong. It seemed like every time he successfully blocked one attack, three more were already on their way. He back flipped to give himself a breather. His opponent let him retreat for the moment.

"Tired already, Naruto?" said the other shinobi.

"I still have plenty of fight left in me, Bushy-Brows" said Naruto.

"Then quit resting and let us prove our youth!" Lee screamed as he charged at Naruto once again. Lee threw out a left-right jab combo followed by a sweeper, then continued with a high kick and a swift haymaker towards Naruto's face with each hit being blocked by the blonde shinobi. With each strike, the enthusiastic green shinobi increased his speed, testing the demon container's limits.

He was impressed with how much Naruto had improved in his taijutsu since they began sparring together a few months ago. Naruto was now as fast as Lee with his weights on and improving all the time. Though he wasn't as skilled in hand-to-hand combat as Lee, Naruto had a knack for thinking on the fly and attacking in ways that even the taijutsu master never expected. He really was the world's number one ninja at surprising people, regardless of what he was doing.

Lee spun around and tried to sweep the legs out from underneath his opponent. Naruto quickly leaped into the air to avoid the strike. Lee, expecting the evasion, continued his spin and punched Naruto hard in the stomach while he was still midair. Naruto went flying backward into a boulder, and shook his head as he regained his feet.

Lee was standing in his ready stance, one arm behind his back and one arm thrust forward like a blade, waiting for Naruto to attack. After mentally cursing himself for not seeing that last attack coming, the blond performed his signature jutsu and suddenly there were ten blondes charging Lee.

The taijutsu master smirked and proceeded into a complicated series of kicks and punches that occurred so swiftly and smoothly that the real Naruto could only look on in wonder as Lee destroyed every clone with such precision it looked more like a dance than a heated battle.

Lee took advantage of Naruto's admiration and moved so fast that to onlookers it would have appeared that he simply vanished only to reappear right behind a still stunned Naruto. Lee punched the blond hard enough to send him soaring across the training ground into a tree nearly a hundred feet away.

Smiling at his victory, Lee walked to his friend to make sure he was okay. Suddenly, Naruto disappeared in a flash of smoke. Shocked to find it was a clone, Lee quickly examined the area looking for the real Naruto. The bushy haired shinobi felt a shadow on his back and looked back in time to see his opponenent's foot heading towards chest. Lee ducked quickly, leaving him slightly off balance. The blonde pressed his advantage and continued to keep Lee on the defensive.

Right hook, left jab, spin kick, aerial roundhouse, sweeper, uppercut – The hits just kept coming. Even while blocking and dodging all of these blows and more, Lee had managed to regain his footing. He breathed a inner sigh of relief that Naruto's combo, while catching him off guard, failed. Truly great fights were like music with both sides occasionally reaching crescendos. The blonde's crescendo had already reached it's peak and was now dying off and Lee knew it was only a matter of time before he was able to build his own.

The taijutsu master blocked a final right punch from Naruto and took the opportunity to grab his opponent by the wrist, ensuring there was no escape. "Konoha Whirlwind!" Lee screamed as he sent his right leg soaring towards the blonde. Suddenly, a hand burst from the ground and grabbed Lee's left leg that was still on the ground and threw him off balance. The green ninja's kick went wide and Naruto punched his oppenent with all the force he could muster. Lee, still shocked by what happened, had no chance to dodge the strike and fell hard to the ground. He continued to lie on the ground, knowing he was defeated, this time.

"When did you create the last shadow clone?" asked Lee.

"Once you were engaged with the other ten. I figured they would distract you enough where I could sneak away a suprise for you." said the blond haired ninja as he helped his friend to his feet.

"I will keep my promise to myself and run 500 laps around Konoha for losing to you!" declared the energetic ninja.

At that moment, an ANBU agent arrived in a cloud of smoke.

"Naruto, the Hokage wishes to speak to you. She has a mission for you. Please head to the Tower as soon as possible. The rest of the team involved in the mission is already there." and with that, the ANBU agent disappeared in a burst of leaves.

Wondering what kind of mission awaited him, Naruto said, "Thanks for the sparring match, Lee. I hope one day I will be as quick as you!"

"Anytime, Naruto. I look forward to testing my skills with you another time. Next time I won't lose so easily!" said Lee with a fiery grin.

Naruto walked to his apartment to clean up before heading to the Hokage Tower. He waved to all of his friends that he saw along the way. Nowadays that was quite a few. It had been almost a year since Pain invaded Konoha. Now he was the hero who saved the Leaf. The town had been rebuilt better than it was before, proving the village's will of fire remained strong after the attack. Nearly everyone in the village recognized him and waved, offering their thanks for saving their home and family.

Having been hated since childhood for the demon that lived inside him, he still had not gotten used to all of the positive attention he received since that day; especially from girls. Lately, Naruto had noticed some girls following him around giggling to each other whenever he turned around to stare curiously at them. He knew what they were giggling about. He wasn't _that_ naive anymore. Now he knew how Sasuke must have felt back in the academy.

Sasuke...

Naruto still hadn't kept his promise to Sakura to bring him back. Without a doubt, he still intended to keep his promise, but lately he was getting worried that Sasuke had lost himself completely to the darkness inside of him. He had been so optimistic that if he just encountered Sasuke one more time, he could convince the teme to return to Konoha.

However, after their latest encounter, after the raven haired shinobi had killed Danzo, he saw Sasuke's true heart. He truly wanted the village destroyed. He truly wanted to kill Kakashi and Sakura and would have if he had not arrived when he did. He couldn't believe that Sasuke had fallen so far.

Seeing Sasuke thrusting that poisoned kunai toward Sakura was one of the most frightening experiences of his life. He didn't know what he would have done if he would have arrived a few seconds later. Naruto had loved Sakura for as long as he could remember. He knew that she didn't love him back, but he didn't mind. He was content admiring her from afar, protecting her when he could, and doing whatever it took to make her happy. His thoughts returned to her confession in the land of snow six months ago.

_Flashback (manga 469 – Land of Snow: Sakura's Confession to Naruto)_

_Naruto was speechless. The girl he had loved for as long as he could remember had just told him that she loved him. He had to be dreaming. Or maybe he heard her wrong. Before he got his hopes up to high, he asked, "I don't know if I heard you wrong. Can you say it again? What did you say just now Sakura-chan?"_

_Exasperated, Sakura said, "What I said, Naruto, is that I love you! I'm saying there's nothing between Sasuke and me anymore! I don't know what I was thinking liking a person like that. I'm confessing my feelings here, so listen up!"_

_End Flashback_

Something hadn't felt right about the confession.He had later realized that it was her way of trying to convince him to stop chasing after Sasuke since the Leaf village had decided to declare him a rogue ninja and issued a 'capture or kill on site' order. He often wondered whether somewhere deep inside she meant what she said.

Is it possible that it wasn't just a ploy to keep me from chasing Sasuke? Could it really be possible that Sakura has feelings for me? He smirked to himself, 'Based on my previous experiences, I'm not that lucky. Especially not with women.' he thought.

He arrived at the Hokage Tower and shook his head to clear his thoughts so he could focus on the mission, as a shinobi should. Now wasn't the time to worry about his non-existent love life. After knocking and receiving permission to enter, Naruto opened the doors to Tsunade's office.

In front of her desk stood the lazy genius, Shikamaru, with a bored look on his face. Next to him stood the Hinata, the Hyuuga Heiress. Last, was the girl of his dreams, Sakura. She grew more beautiful everyday. For a moment they made eye contact and Naruto tried his hardest not to blush. To distract him from his thoughts, he said "Well Baa-chan, what is this new mission you have for me?"

Tsunade glared at Naruto as she always did when he called her "Baa-chan." Secretly, she liked that he thought of her as family. After all, she thought of him as the son she never had. Especially since Jiraiya died, she regretted never having a family of her own.

"It took you long enough, baka. Now that you all are here, I will tell you the details of the mission." Tsunade said, looking serious suddenly. "Lately, I have received reports of a group of raiders harassing a village two days away from Konoha near the edge of the land of fire. Your mission is to discover the hideout of the raiders and if possible take them down and into custody."

"Raiders?! you expect me to go chasing down a small group of raiders when Akatsuki is still out there? While Sasuke is still out there?" said the over enthusiastic blonde.

"Naruto, you baka! Quit complaining and do what your told! Sorry, sensei. I'll make sure he behaves himself." said Sakura while bashing Naruto over the head with her enhanced strength.

"Ow! Sakura-chan, you are so mean..." Naruto said while rubbing his head soothingly.

"There are rumors that their leader is a powerful genjutsu user who claims to be able to see the future. So be careful, especially you, Naruto. The person who hired us for this mission specifically requested you lead it." said Tsunade while staring at the blonde.

"How troublesome...come on guys, we might as well get this mission over with." Shikamaru said while exiting the Hokage's office. "I'll meet you by the main gate when you are ready."

Hinata left shortly after Shikamaru with a swift good-bye to Naruto, Sakura, and the Hokage. The remaining pair of Team 7 left the office together, Naruto still rubbing his head. They both already had their gear for the mission so they walked to the main gate to wait for Hinata and Shikamaru.

They walked in silence most of the way, merely enjoying eachother's company. When Sakura could take the silence no more, she said, "Why are you all banged up, Naruto? Yeesh, sometimes you really overdo it, you know that?"

"Sorry, I was training in taijutsu with Lee-san. He almost has as strong of a punch as you do Sakura-chan." said Naruto jokingly.

"At least let me heal you before we leave for our mission." said the pink haired medic-nin. While Sakura was healing him, Naruto couldn't help but notice how close she was to him. He could smell her hair, could see every beautiful pore on her face, and feel her breath on his neck. It took every fiber in his body not to hug her close right then. He sighed, again accepting that it wasn't meant to be, and gave Sakura the best smile he could.

Sakura smiled back at her teammate and best friend. Though she was proud of how strong he had become, she wished he would take it easy every now and then. She knew that he had good reasons to want to be so powerful. After all, she was one of the chief reasons he trained so hard to bring Sasuke back.

She hated when he smiled at her like that. She had known him long enough to know when his smile was real and when it was for show. It was his eyes that gave it away. His eyes always shined when he truly smiled. Now, they were dull with sadness. When she was done healing what little the Kyuubi hadn't taken care of already, she put her hand on Naruto's shoulder, forcing him to look at her, and said, "Just be careful out there, okay?"

He smiled his real unique smile and quipped, "Aren't I always?" At that moment, Shikamaru and Hinata approached the gate. Noticing their company, Sakura smiled one more time and took her hand off of Naruto's shoulder, thrust it in the air and said "Okay gang, let's go find us some raiders! Shannaro!" With that the four teammates left Konoha.

Author's note: please don't forget to tell me what you think so far. I would appreciate any reviews! I currently plan to update weekly, pending I get someone to volunteer to beta. Please contact me via fanfiction message if you are interested in helping me out! I would really be greatful!

Thanks a ton guys!

narp73


	2. Chapter 2- The Enemy Approaches

Author's Note: Hello again everyone! I've thrown in this little extra chapter to hopefully get the ball rolling on some reviews and I'm still hoping for someone to review my chapters before I post them to make sure they are up to par. I've only received two reviews so far, and while grateful for those, I would certainly appreciate more! What do I need to improve on, what did you like? Ideas for the future of the story? While I have it pretty well mapped out in my head, I would most likely be willing to tweak if the idea strikes my fancy! Anyway, this is kinda a stall chapter that I just through together, not very actiony, just showing where the story is going.

Disclaimer: This pen that I hold in my hand is rrrrrrrrrroooooooooyal blue. Dang it, I don't own naruto. (I'll try to do a jim carrey quote every chapter now. It will amuse me. Try to guess the movie. I'll try to make the quotes more abstract later.

Thanks again! Enjoy the chapter!

narp73

Chapter 2 – The Enemy Approaches

"Kisame has finally returned from his mission my lord." came a voice from the darkness.

"And was he successful?" Though trying to hide his excitement, Lord Madara couldn't help but speak with the swiftness that only came from anxiety.

The Uchiha and his guest stood in a large cave located near the epicenter of the Great nations of Fire, Lightning and Rock to give them quick maneuverability to move about unseen. The cave contained the demon statue that allowed the Akatsuki to capture the tailed demons and contain their chakra until they were needed. Madara currently stood on the head of the statue as Zetsu gave his report.

"Yes, my lord." came the reply from the shadows. "He reported success in capturing the Eight-tails jinchuriki."

All of Madara's planning was finally approaching its conclusion. The Uchiha had been planning and plotting longer than most shinobi lived. Even back to his battle with Hashirama, the First Hokage, more than one hundred years ago, he knew it didn't matter who won the battle as long as he grabbed some DNA from his nemesis.

"Thank you, Zetsu. That will be all for now." said Madara.

The Akatsuki spy continued as if he didn't hear the obvious dismissal, "With all due respect, master, what do you intend to do about the Leaf?" obviously referencing their many setbacks caused by the ninja of Konoha.

Admittedly, his plans had needed to be altered due to the numerous setbacks caused by the Leaf. Madara smirked. On one hand, he was furious with all of the delays to his plans. However, on the other hand he was impressed with the strength and resilience his home village of Konoha had shown over the past few years.

"Hashirama has obviously done well leading the village in my absence." the Uchiha said as he thought The nine tailed demon container especially was becoming a threat.

Even after the invasion of Orochimaru, the Village hidden in the Leaves had never faltered; never failed to show its strength to hinder other nations from taking advantage of their moment of weakness. Konoha had, of course, suffered many casualties in that battle, but realistically, Orochimaru had never stood a chance of destroying the village. Madara would not make the same mistakes as the Snake Sannin. Still, he could not let his native village choose when and where their battles took place any longer.

"We must bring the battle to them instead of letting them pick us off one by one." The Akatsuki leader said.

"And how would you propose we do that with so many of our numbers defeated already?" Zetsu dared to ask.

Zetsu was right, Madara had lost more of his elite than he had believed possible. It had taken the Uchiha years to amass ninja of the highest caliber. Who could have imagined that an old retired sand shinobi and a young pink haired medic-nin would be capable of taking down Sasori of the red sand, one of the strongest shinobi to ever come from Suna?

Between Sasori and his partner Diedara, Madara had been sure that the puppet master was by far the stronger of the two. The old sharingan user had been surprised to hear that Kakashi had awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, based on Diedara's report. Many of the long deceased Uchiha would have become furious upon hearing that someone outside of the Uchiha clan had mastered the sharingan to the extent that Kakashi had.

Shortly after, Hidan and Kakuzu had fallen at the hands of Leaf shinobi. Though he was pleased to be rid of the constant complaining of Hidan, Kakuzu had provided a majority of the funds for his organization, allowing Madara to focus on more important matters.

When he heard Zetsu's report of how the immortal and the greedy bastard met their end, he couldn't resist examining the battlefield himself. It appeared that Naruto had indeed come up with an impressive jutsu to cause that much devastation in a single attack.

To some degree, their losses had been necessary and expected to acquire the legendary tailed beasts. Still, it seemed the leaf village was the only one willing to stand against them to any significant degree.

That was when he knew that Konoha was becoming too much of a thorn in his side. Madara had convinced Pain to destroy the village. Pain was one of the most powerful shinobi he had ever met. Luckily for Madara, the Rinnegan user was easily manipulated. As long as he believed that he promoted peace with the people he killed, he would do as he was told. The Uchiha didn't care what people's motivations were, as long as they served him.

Not only had Pain failed to capture the Nine-tails, but he also failed to cause a single casualty thanks to his betrayal and his revival jutsu. At the least, Madara expected Pain to weaken the great village, thus allowing him more freedom from their constant interference with his plans. However, all he had to show was one less valuable shinobi and an enemy that was more united than ever against his cause.

"We have Sasuke and his team." Madara stated, more as a stall to keep thinking than anything.

Although he personally caused the deaths of Diedara and Itachi, Sasuke was a valuable addition to his army. Diedara, with his obsession with art was difficult to control; He wouldn't be missed. Itachi, however, was strong, even by Uchiha standards. That he was defeated by his younger brother spoke volumes of how much Sasuke had improved under Orochimaru's tutelage.

"But can you control him?" Zetsu asked.

Madara waved his hand dismissively, "Sasuke is easy to manipulate. As long as he is convinced that it furthers his revenge the young Uchiha will exceed all expectations and kill with a ruthlessness that surpasses even Kisame." Madara easily answered. Promise the boy a little power and he would kneel at your feet.

This proved most effective in Sasuke's latest victory over the Konoha elder, Danzo. To be honest, Madara had not been sure that Sasuke was powerful enough to kill the sharingan thief. He was prepared to step in when the situation turned dire. A little failure would do the young Uchiha some good. It turns out that although he was not as powerful as Danzo, Sasuke proved to be the more clever of the two by fooling the elder into believing that his Izanagi was still activated with a simple chuunin level genjutsu.

"The boy still has a bond with the Nine tails." Zetsu argued.

Sasuke's reunion with Naruto was discouraging. Since their brief encounter, the raven haired shinobi had been unable to concentrate on anything other than battling his old teammate. Though Madara was glad this encouraged Sasuke to finally take Itachi's eyes and awaken his eternal sharingan, his obsession with killing the Nine-tails interfered with his plans. All of the other eight bijuu had been retrieved and only the kyuubi remained. Madara would not have his plans foiled this late in the game by some petty vendetta.

Madara stared down at Zetsu and said, "Let me worry about Sasuke."

"Very well, my lord." The Akatsuki spy answered, knowing he had overstepped his bounds. He decided to change subject. "What is your plan then, master?"

The Uchiha considered for a moment. All in all, along with his elite forces, Madara had approximately 300 rogue ninja and thugs that he had bribed either with money or revenge to assist in his invasion of Konoha to take the last piece needed; the Nine-tails. Madara smiled inside of his mask. "This time, there will be no setbacks. The kyuubi will be mine. We head for Konoha."

Lightning flashed. In a dark arena, the only light visible was a sparkling blue light swiftly dashing back and forth across the training field as if trying to slice through the night itself. The sound of a thousand chirping birds and exploding dummies resounded throughout the area as Sasuke laid waste to anything that dared draw near.

The light extinguished and silence filled the room. Sasuke stood in the middle of a heap of fallen targets, breathing heavily and still blindfolded. The Uchiha removed his blindfold to reveal two blood red orbs that used to belong to his older brother shining in the dark. The raven-haired ninja could feel the power of his eyes improving every day. His usual training routine had been too easy with his new eyes, so he had repeated the process using a blindfold. Just because he had the sharingan was no reason to not use his hearing or other insticts to their fullest potential. After all, Danzo had died overestimating the sharingan. Sasuke promised himself he would never make the same mistake.

He hadn't told anyone on his team, but he had been getting increasingly painful headaches and swiftly losing his vision due to overuse of his sharingan. Since the surgery, he had not had any headaches, and he knew when the bandages were removed he would never have trouble with his vision again.

Having been deceived since childhood, believing his brother was a monster, he was still trying to wrap his mind around the story Madara told depicting Itachi as the savior of Konoha. He had hated his brother for so long, he didn't know how not to hate anymore. Hate is what had kept him alive; what kept him moving forward. Eventually, he simply switched the target of his hate from Itachi to Konoha.

If everything his beloved brother did was for the Leaf village's gain, then what gave them the right to enjoy the peace earned at the price of Itachi's exile? Every smile, every laugh, every day of peace came at the cost of Itachi's blood. 'Well, if their peace comes at the cost of the blood of my clan, then I will find my peace through their blood.' thought the young Uchiha.

Sasuke smirked, remembering the feeling of elation after having killed Danzo. He had never felt as alive as he had in that moment when he had buried his sword in the councilor's chest to the hilt. Then Sakura had arrived, surprising him with an offer to join him and help him in destroying the Leaf. Sasuke knew she was lying. What he didn't know was why she lied.

_Flashback (manga 181 – Konoha Village: Sakura's Confession to Sasuke)_

_Sasuke stood with his pack, ready to leave the village to go to Orochimaru for power, but Sakura was there, in his path. Tears were pouring down her face as she spoke, "If you and I were together, I swear I wouldn't let you regret it. We'll live happily every day. We'll definitely find happiness together!" She was crying so hard it was almost difficult to understand what she was saying. " I will do anything for you. Please stay, I'm begging you. I'd even kill for you. Anything you want me to do I will do it for you. Please, stay here with me. If that isn't possible, then take me with you."_

_End Flashback_

Sasuke was sure that back then, she had meant it. She really would have left her home and family for him. Now, however, something seemed different. Her eyes seemed dead when she looked at him. He could see that she wasn't obsessed with him like she was when they were younger. Had his actions finally dissuaded her from being able to love him? Had she fallen for someone else?

He didn't really care. He knew that most women found him attractive. He used that to get what he needed out of them like he did with Karin; be it information, skills, or just sex. So he was slightly surprised to see his once biggest fan-girl be completely unaffected by his looks or charm.

Then Kakashi had arrived, followed shortly by Naruto. Sasuke frowned, thinking once again about their latest encounter. The blonde shinobi was right about one thing; they had become strong. Sasuke had no difficulty at all seeing what was in Naruto's heart when their jutsu connected.

He saw how deeply the blonde cared for the village and did not doubt that he would give his life defending it, even from Sasuke. Unexpectedly, he saw how much Naruto cared for Sakura. He had always known that the dobe had a crush on the pink haired kunoichi, but the depth of the feelings that he carried for her was surely deeper than any emotion he had ever seen.

Most importantly, he saw how Naruto felt about him. He remembered when he once shared those feelings of brotherhood. That was why he had left; to escape the bonds that held him back from completing his life's ambition. It seems that for Naruto that those feelings, if anything, were stronger now than they were then. He saw a memory from the blonde that spoke of the depth of his commitment to do whatever it took to save his brother:

_Flashback (manga 303 – Outside Orochimaru's Hideout: Naruto's Commitment)_

_(Speaking about Orochimaru) "If my arms get ripped off, I'll just kick him to death. If my legs get ripped off, I'll just bite him to death. If my head gets ripped off, I'll just stare him to death. And if my eyes get ripped out, I'll just curse him to death." Naruto said with a conviction that startled those present. "Even if it means getting torn to pieces, I'm going to take Sasuke back from Orochimaru, no matter what!"_

_End Flashback_

Sasuke knew he would never be able to change Naruto's mind on the subject. If he really wanted to destroy the Leaf, he would have to go through the dobe to do it. That was why he accepted Itachi's eyes in the first place. He knew they would give him the power he needed to finally cut his bonds and achieve his revenge. Sasuke shook out of his thoughts when he heard a knock on his door.

"Enter." said Sasuke.

Jugo entered the room. Getting straight to the point, as always, he said, "Madara sent me. We leave for Konoha in one week."

Author's Note: there's my chapter. Please don't forget to review and be specific on what you think. Any and all feedback is appreciated. Also, still looking for someone willing to review my story before posting. If you would like to or have any ideas on how to get someone to, please pm me and let me know or state it in a review. Thanks again all! Please review!


	3. Chapter 3 - Confessions

Author's Note: MERRY CHRISTMAS! I just recently got back with hanging out with family for Christmas. I hope all of yours went well. I thought I would add another chapter to you all as my christmas gift to you. I would appreciate you return the favor with reviews! Remember: 'Tis better to give (me reviews) than receive (another chapter!) This is another slower drama chapter, but I promise i'll bring some action next chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own naruto

Jim Carrey Quote: That's right folks, behind every great man is a woman rolling her eyes.

Name the movie! And enjoy the new chapter!

Congrats to Gundam27 for getting last chapter's Jim Carrey Quote correct! It was from "Liar Liar"

Chapter 3 – Confessions

It was getting late as the sun faded behind the trees to the west. The four shinobi had been leaping from tree to tree for hours trying to get a head start on their mission to capture the raiders. However, with the sun going down, all of the ninja were feeling weary after traveling so many miles so swiftly. Shikamaru took a moment to check on his team. He could easily tell that both Hinata and Sakura were exhausted. He assumed they didn't complain because they didn't want to appear weak in front of Naruto. Shikamaru sighed and came to a stop and used a hand signal, telling the rest of the team to do the same.

Naruto spoke up immediately, "Why are we stopping? We have plenty of energy left. We can be there by tonight if we-"

"Naruto, look around. We are all exhausted." Shikamaru interrupted.

The blonde finally did look at his teammates. Hinata was practically doubled over trying to catch her breath. Sakura too was panting heavily, although she was trying to look willing to continue on. Even Shikamaru looked like he could barely remain on his feet.

The Nara genius placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder and said, "I know you are in a hurry, but trust me, it won't do any good to get there quickly if we are all too tired to fight. Not all of us have your stamina, Naruto."

Naruto nodded, "Your right, I guess I got carried away again. Let's set up camp."

After a simple meal of rations which they had brought with them from the village, the group was relaxing and sharing stories of previous missions. This was Sakura's favorite part of missions. It was rare she had a chance to see her friends so happy and full of life. This was a side of her friends she rarely saw in the public of Konoha where they were expected to be emotionless defenders.

Even Naruto had partially gotten out of his previous funk and was sharing a humorous story about when Sai asked Sakura if she was on her period. Sakura was so embarrassed she had punched him across the field, and stomped around fuming for the rest of the day. The kunoichi chuckled at the memory.

She had been in a bad mood that day because Naruto had once again thrown caution to the wind and ran into the middle of a group of enemy shinobi on his own, without his team to back him up; without her. Although he successfully defeated the rogue squad, he sustained many injuries, including some broken ribs and a broken arm. His head was bleeding badly enough she was actually worried she wouldn't be able to stop it in time.

He later justified it by saying he didn't want her or any of his other friends getting hurt. At the time, she was angry because it made it sound like he thought she was too weak to fight. Now she knew that it wasn't a question of strength, just a desire to protect those he cared about.

After a few more stories were told, Shikamaru said, "Okay guys, we should get some rest." Sakura, knowing she wasn't likely to sleep well anyway, stood up quickly and said, "I'm not that tired, I'll take the first watch of the night."

Hinata stood next and agreed to take watch the remainder of the night after her. While her teammates went to sleep, Sakura moved to a nearby boulder where she could keep a good view over the camp as she continued letting her mind run down memory lane. She had been through a lot in her short life. Her village had almost been destroyed twice, her life had been threatened countless times, and there never seemed to be enough time to simply enjoy herself.

She was proud of the ninja she had become. She was no longer the weak little girl standing on the sidelines while Sasuke and Naruto fought for their lives. She was strong, she knew, but she still felt left behind compared to the strength she saw in her blonde teammate.

She would never admit it out loud, but Naruto was the reason she begged Tsunade to train her in the medical arts. It seemed like every mission he made it his goal to take as much damage as his body could take so his teammates wouldn't have to. She wanted to be able to help and she decided that if she couldn't stop him from selflessly throwing himself headfirst into danger and becoming a human punching bag she would be there to make sure he survived the ordeal. He meant too much to her for her to let him die.

When they were first placed on Team 7 along with Sasuke and Kakashi, she had hated him passionately for interfering with her and her 'Sasuke-kun'. Now, They had grown a close bond over the years and trusted each other without hesitation. They were shinobi who knew the other well enough to work in perfect unison; each knowing exactly what the other would do and using that knowledge to their advantage in combat, leaving foes of even greater skill deafeated by their exceptional teamwork.

More importantly, they were best friends who spent time with one another even outside of missions. They occasionally ate meals together with Naruto insisting they were dates and Sakura threatening to punch him if he kept it up. That would keep him quiet for a few minutes at least.

She had learned a lot about Naruto during the last few years since he returned from training with Jiraiya. She remembered when she found out that Naruto was the jinchuriki for the Nine-tailed demon fox. That answered a bunch of questions that kept popping up during their childhood. It explained why nearly the whole village hated him and shunned him as a child.

It also explained where his nearly endless supply of stamina and chakra came from. Lastly, it explained how he always healed so fast. There were times when she was sure he had received fatal injuries only to see him bouncing in his hospital bed a few days later, anxious to get out and train some more. She remembered the first time she saw the demon fox show its true colors on the heaven and earth bridge while facing off against Orochimaru.

_Flashback (manga 296-7 – Heaven and Earth Bridge: Four-Tails Naruto)_

_Naruto, in the four-tails state, was staring at Orochimaru with a fury Sakura had never seen in him. She couldn't believe this was the same Naruto that used to play pranks in the village, the same Naruto who always asked her out to eat ramen with him. She ran to him, yelling at him to stop. He looked at her with a blank look on his animalistic face. He didn't recognize her._

_Suddenly, one of his tails came streaking at her. With no time to dodge, the tail struck her in the arm, knocking her to the ground and burning her badly. After captain Yamato used a seal to return Naruto to his human state, Sakura was shocked. All of his skin was burnt away, leaving second to third degree burns all along his body. _

_She sat up, put her hands on his chest and began pouring forth her green healing chakra to help regrow his skin. Memories of the past when all she could do was sit on the sidelines and watch her friends fight and die flooded her head._

"_It is always the same. I can only do the small things for Naruto." She said as tears dripped from her face._

_Yamato looked closely at Sakura. He could see by her actions how much Naruto meant to her. "It's not what you do that's important. It's how strongly you feel about him that counts. Sakura, I can tell just by looking at you. The truth is you..."_

_End Flashback_

Sakura rubbed the scar that the nine-tails left on her upper arm. She knew that Naruto wasn't the demon inside of him, but it was still sobering to realize the awesome power that he kept at bay within.

She never had the chance to hear what Yamato was going to say. She thought she knew, but she refused to think about it. She and Naruto had been best friends for so long it was difficult to imagine them as anything else. She had avoided any meaningful relationships since having her heart ripped out by Sasuke, choosing instead to focus on her training.

At that moment, she was distracted by movement to her left.

She realized it was just Hinata coming to take over the watch for the rest of the night. Sakura found it hard to believe that she had passed four hours lost in her thoughts. It was a good thing there were no intruders around, or she might not have reacted in time. Sakura observed Hinata approach her and take a seat next to her.

The two kunoichi had become close friends in the last few years. They found their bond under the connection of both having climbed over the expectations of the village. Sakura, the first ninja of her clan, strove to make a name for herself and Hinata fought to overcome the large shadow left by Neji.

They encouraged each other and trained often and frequently had "girls night outs" to get away from the stress of shinobi life. Sakura felt that Hinata was like a sister to her. Still, there was much about the heiress that she did not know. For instance, it seemed to be a silent agreement that boys were not to be discussed. She wasn't sure why, but the few times she thought of bringing up the subject, it just felt like it would be crossing a line.

Sakura also noted how different Hinata was from when they were Genin. She no longer stuttered or acted nervous as she did when she was young. Now she walked with a confidence deserving of the noblewoman she was. The medic-nin was always curious what brought on the sudden change in her friend and after exchanging pleasantries asked, "Hinata, do you ever think about when were young?"

"All the time Sakura." she answered.

"Did you ever see yourself back then becoming who you are now?"

Hinata smiled, "No, I didn't. But I think he did."

"He? Neji?"

"No, Naruto. Sometimes I think he could see in me what no one else did." The Hyuuga's eyes were drifting, lost in thoughts of the past.

Sakura nodded her agreement. "I know what you mean. If not for him, I never would have broken Ino's mind-transfer jutsu during the Chuunin exams." Sakura paused in thought and smiled, thinking of her teammate. "The idiot has that affect on everyone I guess."

They both sat in silence, lost in their own thoughts. It's funny how when you think of the past, time seems to stand still. So many times Sakura still felt like that weak little girl waiting on someone else to save her, or feeling helpless as others risked their lives. She had come so far from back then, but she couldn't help but feel useless at times. She saw no such hesitation in the woman sitting beside her. She wished she knew her secret.

Several times, Sakura tried to speak up, but she didn't know how to start; didn't even know what it was she was trying to ask. Hinata, noticing her attempts, said "If you want to ask me something, just ask Sakura. There's no need to play shy with me."

The pink haired kunoichi almost laughed out loud at the irony of the statement, but managed to keep herself composed. "How did you do it?" she blurted. After organizing her thoughts a bit more, she tried again. "How did you overcome being that shy little girl I once knew?"

Hinata blushed, and for a moment, reverted to the Hinata that Sakura remembered from the past. She was hesitant to answer the question, since the answer was sleeping only a few feet away. Finally, she answered, "Shortly after I confessed to Naruto during the invasion of Pain, I realized that I couldn't afford to be that weak anymore. I needed to grow stronger to protect those I care about. Naruto's confidence in me gave me confidence in myself." Hinata examined Sakura's reaction closely.

The pink haired kunoichi's eyes grew wide with astonishment. Her answer resonated deeply with Sakura. She too had sought strength when she realized she couldn't do anything for her teammates. Sakura had known that Hinata had a crush on Naruto, though he was oblivious, as always. She even knew that Hinata confronted Pain during the invasion. What she didn't know were the details of what happened that day.

"What? You confessed to Naruto? What happened!?" asked Sakura, unable to hide her curiosity. She was practically ready to shake it out of the Raven-haired girl.

Hinata looked away for a moment, recalling the events of that day; a day she would never forget:

_Flashback (manga 437 – In the Wreckage of Konoha: Hinata's Confession)_

_Hinata stood defiantly between Pain and Naruto who was pinned to the ground with rods sticking out from his body._

_She remembered when Naruto had cheered her on during her battle against her cousin, Neji, during the Chuunin exam. He was always encouraging her and his confidence in her had given her hope when nothing else could. _

"_I chased you forever, always wishing that someday I would catch up. Always dreaming that we would walk side by side. Always trying to make it to where you were. You changed me! Your smile saved me from who I was! I'm not afraid to protect you, even if I die doing so! Because I love you, Naruto-kun!"_

_End Flashback_

Hinata told Sakura her story softly, on the brink of tears throughout the tale. The medic-nin couldn't keep her jaw up as she sat in amazement at the Hyuuga's bravery.

Hinata sighed, "When I died, I felt so peaceful. It felt like I had accomplished my life's purpose. I just knew I had done the right thing, even if I failed to save him. I don't know how he did it, but somehow he convinced Pain to believe in him, and revive all of the fallen, including me."

Sakura smiled, knowing that no one else in the world could have accomplished what he had. Even if another ninja was powerful enough to defeat Pain, no one else could have befriended him. "Did you ever have a chance to talk to him about it?" She wouldn't admit it, but she was curious about Naruto's response to her confession.

Hinata nodded. "A few days after the celebration had begun to die down, Naruto approached me wanting to talk in private. I was terrified, having a good idea what was to come. Naruto led me to a bench along the side of the path and sat down. I sat down next to him and waited, anxious to hear what he would say. He took a long time before he finally spoke."

_Flashback (OC - After Pain's Invasion: Naruto's Answer)_

"_Hinata," he started awkwardly. He never was good at talking to girls. He couldn't bring himself to look her in the eye as he spoke. "I have always admired your quiet strength. I consider you one of the strongest kunoichi in the village. I am honored at how much you care for me..." He paused, "but I can't return your feelings." _

_Hinata's heart sunk as he continued, "I have thought a lot about this over the last few days. I'm really sorry but I can't give you what belongs to another. It wouldn't be fair to you to be with you knowing that I don't feel the same as you. You are a wonderful person, Hinata and I am honored to be one of your friends. And one day I know you will find someone who can give you what I can't."_

_Hinata smiled, though she was crushed inside, she had expected the answer. She leaned forward and placed her arms around Naruto, wrapping him in a warm embrace. "Thank you, Naruto-kun, for being honest with yourself and with me. And thank you for making me a better person."_

"_You already were a better person." Naruto said as he released the hug. They sat together for a while in silence, soaked in their own thoughts. With that, she kissed him softly on the cheek and began walking away. Naruto stood up and watched her go. Before she rounded the corner he said one more thing,_

"_Hinata."_

_She paused, but didn't turn back as there were tears in her eyes and she didn't want him to see her like this. "Don't ever change who you are. You are strong. Don't ever change." With that parting advice, he turned and walked away. Hinata never forgot what he said. And ever since, she has been confident in who she is and who she wants to be._

_End Flashback_

For the first time since her story began, Hinata looked at Sakura. She hadn't been completely honest with her. She had asked Naruto a question and she didn't want the pink haired shinobi to know the answer yet.

_Flashback (OC – Konoha Village: Naruto's Answer)_

_After Naruto had explained his feelings, silence filled the air. After a while, Hinata asked nervously, "Naruto, could you tell me who your heart belongs to?" She knew she shouldn't ask. It really wasn't any of her business and she knew that. But she couldn't help herself. Her heart was just broken; surely she could be forgiven for having a little curiosity._

_Naruto smirked, "You mean it isn't obvious?"_

_Hinata nodded. She figured as much. Naruto had always acted differently around her. "Sakura." she said._

_Naruto also nodded and sighed. Silence returned. Hinata was trying as hard as she could not to cry. At first, she wondered what Sakura had that she didn't. Was she stronger? Prettier? No, she couldn't think like that. Naruto had the right to make his choice and he had. She was happy for her friend. Hinata gave him another hug and whispered, "I hope she returns your feelings one day, Naruto-kun."_

_End Flashback_

Sakura stared at Hinata for several minutes. She couldn't believe Naruto had kept such a secret from her, his best friend. She knew that he had acquired several fan-girls since he was labeled the hero of the village. She also knew that the blonde cared nothing for them and tried his best to ignore them and hide from them since they only liked him for his fame and not for who he was.

Hinata, however, was a beautiful kunoichi who was strong and kind. Beyond that, she knew and respected Naruto while the rest of the village thought of him as nothing more than a demon. To add icing to the cake, she was a heiress to one of the most powerful clans in the village! What more could a man ask for in a girl? Finally Sakura spoke, "Oh, Hinata, I'm so sorry. I didn't know. Is there anything I can do?"

A small smile came to Hinata's face. 'Don't break his heart.' she thought to herself.

Hinata startled. This topic reminded her of something Kiba had told her about. "Sakura, Kiba tells me I'm not the only one who confessed to Naruto. Care to enlighten me?" Hinata asked with a nudge.

Sakura groaned to herself. She always forgot about the audience she had for what should have been a private moment. She would have to remember to punish Kiba for sharing that information later. 'Oh well, she told me her story, I might as well even the score.' she thought.

Sakura remembered every word she said that day. She thought about it constantly. The reason it was always on her mind is because she still didn't know how much of what she said was merely to convince Naruto to stop chasing Sasuke and how much she really meant.

_Flashback (manga 469 – Land of Snow: Sakura's Confession to Naruto)_

"_Did something happen Sakura-chan? Why me of all people all of a sudden-"_

"_Nothing happened! If you want to know why I started liking you I'll say it clearly." Sakura interrupted. She walked up to Naruto and abruptly pulled him into a close embrace. "Sasuke-kun just keeps getting further from me. But you, Naruto, you've always stayed by my side. You've encouraged me. I've finally realized who you really are, Naruto. The hero who protected the village, beloved by everyone in the village. I'm just one of them."_

_Sakura thought of all of the times over the past several years when it was Naruto who made her laugh, not Sasuke. It was Naruto who always protected her on missions, not Sasuke. And it was Naruto who comforted her after a rough day at the hospital, not Sasuke. She smiled, remembering her teammate as a kid, _

"_That mischievous little dummy I knew, little by little is becoming this great and important man. And I've been watching from right next to him. But all Sasuke's done is commit crimes and break my heart. More and more he's becoming a different person than he was; so distant." Sakura hugged him tighter feeling his tension at the strange situation, "But Naruto, you're right here, where I can touch you like this. You make me feel safe. Right now, from the bottom of my heart I-"_

_End Flashback_

Naruto had stopped her after that, not letting her finish. He hadn't believed her. All she wanted was to protect him from Akatsuki. Even now they were scheming how they might capture her best friend and rip the demon from his body, discarding his corpse in the process. She couldn't sit by and let that happen. She had to do what she could to protect him. He had protected her for as long as she could remember. Just this once, she wanted to return the favor.

As for Sasuke, she was over her crush on him. She still wanted him back of course, but only because he was a teammate and because of how important he was to Naruto. She knew that he thought of Sasuke like a brother. Knowing that he never had a true family of his own growing up, it was killing her that his new family with Team 7 was broken without the raven-haired ninja.

Finished with her story, Sakura looked at Hinata, waiting on her response. The Hyuuga thought for a long moment before she asked softly, "Did you mean it, Sakura?"

Sakura looked down at the ground, away from her lavender eyes. "I don't know." She said honestly.

Hinata put her arm on Sakura's shoulder and said, "When the time comes, you'll know. Don't worry."

"How can you be sure?" asked Sakura.

"Because, it worked for me." She said, simply. Both women looked over to where Naruto lay sleeping. As they were watching he rolled over loudly and mumbled in his sleep. Both girls giggled at him then continued to stare in silence.

Finally, after a while, Hinata spoke again, "You should get some sleep Sakura, you must be tired."

"How am I suppose to sleep after you drop a bomb like 'confessing to Naruto' on me?" Sakura said while laughing.

Hinata smiled back, "I could knock you out if you prefer..."

"I should knock him out for turning down a girl like you. That baka must have high standards."

The heiress nodded in gratitude at the compliment. "The very highest." she said with an inner smile.

Sakura waved good night and wandered off to her cot. As she lay down to rest, Sakura heard Naruto mumble in his sleep once more and smiled to herself. "Goodnight, Naruto."

Author's Note: I tweaked this chapter a lot before posting it, and to be honest I still don't feel completely comfortable with it. I just know I've been dying for these two to discuss their confessions in the show/manga. It seems retarded to me that no one has brought up that both girls have confessed to Naruto and especially that Naruto has basically ignored Hinata since her confession, so I hope you liked what I made up for his response. Please tell me what you thought of this chapter. I would love to know if you think I pulled off in a believable fashion (like it would happen in the show/manga) or if you think I was way off base. I promise action next chapter! Prolly over the weekend! Depending on how many reviews I get...lol.

Thanks for reading and please review! MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!

narp73


	4. Chapter 4 - The Raiders

Author's Note: Okay guys, here is chapter four. Here comes the action! This chapter also sets up the next chapter (obviously) which will go over what the whole story is about.

Ultimatum time: I am really sorry to have to resort to this, but I have to issue an ultimatum. If I do not receive enough reviews saying that this story is worth your time to read, then I am going to assume it isn't worth your time. If it isn't worth your time to read, then it certainly isn't worth my time to write. I've put a lot of work into this story and I have only 5 reviews to show for it, and most of those were not constructive at all. I have received zero reviews after the third chapter. One which I thought would spur some good conversation. I NEED to know what you think of the story, how I am portraying the characters, my writing style, my description of the fights, anything and everything you can think of. If I have to wait a month or a year to get reviews. I'm not wasting my time on a story that no one appreciates. So please review at the end of the chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Jim Carrey Quote: Warning. Assholes are closer than they appear. Chapter Three's Jim Carrey quote was intentionally more obscure. It was from Bruce Almighty at the end. I hope you all enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 4 – The Raiders

The four shinobi peaked through the branches at the raider's camp. Luckily, the information provided by Tsunade had been accurate. They had found a pair of the raider's scouts and discretely followed them back to their camp utilizing Hinata's Byakugan. The team stepped back from the branches having confirmed that they had found the raider's base.

Shikamaru, being the leader, spoke first, "Hinata, I want you to spy on the enemy using your Byakugan. Find out anything you can about their numbers and strength. Also, keep an eye out for their security. I want to know everything there is to know about their patrols, night watches, and how they keep out intruders."

Hinata nodded in understanding and leapt away to begin her task. Shikamaru then turned to the medic-nin, "Sakura, I want you to double check all of our supplies and give me an inventory so that I know what all we have to work with. And Naruto, you are on guard duty. Make sure that the enemy doesn't find out we are here and that they don't cross our perimeter."

Naruto and Sakura said, "Hai." in unison and departed to complete their objectives. In less than an hour, Sakura had given her report to Shikamaru and now Hinata had arrived to do the same.

"I counted a total of twenty-one raiders; five cells consisting of four raiders and their leader." Hinata said, answering the first question.

"And their strength?" Shikamaru asked.

"Based on their chakra levels, I could tell that two members of each squad were shinobi. The others were simple raiders following orders." Shikamaru nodded. Though he was disappointed at how many of the raiders were shinobi, he was grateful that not all of them were. Twenty-one was a greater number than he had been expecting. They would be hard pressed as it was to defeat them with only four ninjas.

The genius pressed Hinata for all the information she had on their foes and asked to be left alone so he could think. The other three ninja left him to his thoughts and patiently waited, except for Naruto.

"Why can't we just go down there and kick their butts?" said the impatient blonde.

"Because, baka, they outnumber us five to one. Even if only half of their forces are shinobi, it is still more than double what we have."

"Come on, with my shadow clones, we could outnumber them easy. I bet I could have the lot of them rounded up before that lazy sky-gazer is done planning" Naruto said with a heroic pose.

"Please, Shikamaru would have to start planning all over again so we could rescue your sorry ass." the pink haired kunoichi said with a chuckle.

Hinata watched their exchange with a sad smile. 'They already act like they've been together for years.' she thought. They talked more about the rumors of the leader of the raiders and her strange powers. After about half an hour had passed, Shikamaru joined them, ready to share his strategy.

"Okay guys, let's start with what we know. Since we began observing the raiders, one of the four man cells has been away from the camp scouting for traders, travelers and other prey to steal from. This group checks in every hour to report and confirm their status. This leaves seventeen in the camp."

"At night, the remaining four squads take turns on watch for four hours each. Two squads have down time two squads are on watch. This part gets tricky. One squad patrols the perimeter from the outside and the other squad faces outward in every direction from the center of the camp."

"Great, that means that even if we could take out all four outer sentries out quietly, the inner squad will notice us and sound the alarm." Sakura stated.

Shikamaru nodded, impressed with her quick analytical skills. "Exactly. I have an idea, but it is risky and even if everything goes according to plan, we will still be dealing with several troublesome ninja."

Naruto smiled and pounded his fists together, "Finally, some action!"

Shikamaru shook his head and took a nearby stick and started drawing in the dirt. "Here is what we will do;

First, when the scout squad reports in, we will follow them away from the camp. When we are a sufficient distance to assure that an alarm will not be sounded, we will quickly ambush their squad. That only gives us one hour to take them down and return to the camp to complete the rest of the plan."

"That is cutting it a little close, isn't it Shikamaru?" Hinata noted.

The Nara shrugged his shoulders, "There is no way around it. They have to be dealt with. We can't give them the opportunity to get the jump on us later. The only other choice is to take the whole camp while they are away and the odds of that are even worse." Pointing towards to sentry guards, he continued. "The sentries at the camp will be especially troublesome. They aren't taking any chances. I'll explain the rest of the plan after we complete step one."

The team waited in the bushes until Hinata relayed that the scout cell had just reported in. They had to move quickly to follow them, capture them, and return before their next check in. They followed the raiders at a distance where they could observe without being observed. After about 15 minutes, when they were far enough away from the camp, the Konoha ninja attacked, Naruto leading the charge and Sakura hanging back in case anyone was injured. Shikamaru kept back as well, prepared to use his shadows to stop any raider that might attempt to flee.

"Kage Bunshin Jutsu!"

Suddenly a dozen Naruto's had the raiders surrounded. Unsurprisingly, the enemy didn't surrender. Instead, they did as they were trained to do when outnumbered and swarmed Hinata, assuming that she was the weaker of the attacking force. They hardly stood a chance. The Hyuuga easily dodged the first wave of attacks and with one palm strike each, she knocked the two non-shinobi unconscious. The two remaining ninja split up; one facing Hinata, the other, Naruto and his clones.

Naruto's clones surrounded the shinobi closest to him and attacked with abandon. The enemy slammed his palm on the ground and a wave of dirt exploded outward in every direction, dispersing all of the clones. Naruto covered his eyes until the dust settled. When he lowered his arms, he saw his opponent smiling. 'Uh oh, that's never good.' he thought. Suddenly, he felt something on his leg.

When he looked down, he saw two arms coming from the ground had grabbed him. He hated when he was right. With no time to react, Naruto was hurled into a nearby boulder with such force it left an impression in the stone. The enemy shinobi ran to where the blonde landed to confirm that he was out of the fight before moving on to a new opponent.

Just when he was satisfied that he wasn't moving, the orange clad ninja disappeared in a flash of smoke. The earth user turned around in time to see Naruto approaching swiftly with a blue ball of chakra in his hand.

"Rasengan!" he screamed as he thrust the swirling ball of energy straight into his opponent's gut. To the blonde's surprise, the enemy crumbled, leaving nothing but dirt remains behind. Naruto had no time to question when the raider made a mud clone before arms once again grabbed him from the ground and pulled him underground to his neck. With his opponent stuck in the ground, the earth user returned to the surface.

The raider knelt down and looked Naruto in the face. "You were a worthy opponent, but you never stood a chance against me." he said. While he was staring at the young shinobi, he noticed a change occurring in his appearance. The blonde's eyes were changing to red and turning into vertical slits instead of the ocean blue ovals they used to be. Getting nervous, the raider backed up a few steps to better be able to react to what was occurring in front of him.

Naruto could feel the kyuubi's chakra expanding within him. He despised having to use the demon's power, but at the moment, he didn't see another choice. He needed to end this quickly. With the demon fox's help, he burst from the ground and charged at the enemy. The earth user was not prepared for the increased level of speed or the intensity of the attack from the blonde ninja.

The raider dodged the first reckless charge, but could not move fast enough to avoid the second. Naruto's fist collided with the earth user's face and he slammed into the ground, where he stayed. Naruto's eyes returned to their usual sky blue and he finished securing his prisoner.

Meanwhile, Hinata faced off against her opponent. Not knowing her enemy's abilities, she got into her ready stance and waited for him to make the first move. Pulling a sword from its sheath, he accepted her invitation. The Hyuuga pulled out a kunai and blocked his first down stroke attack. His attack was so strong that her arm went slightly numb. Hinata back flipped to buy her some time.

She glanced at her kunai and noticed that the sword had penetrated a good portion of the weapon. One more blow like that and he would cut through her defense. She hurled the now useless weapon at her opponent who easily dodged and shook the numbness from her hand.

The raider smiled, having seen that look on his enemies many times before. He put his hands together through a complicated group of hand signs and suddenly two dozen illusions of the shinobi and his fearsome blade surrounded the heiress.

He quickly resumed his attack, not giving the female shinobi time to discover which were illusions and which was really him. Hinata danced around the area. Occasionally she would take a swipe at the illusions when the opportunity presented itself, but she was desperately dodging as many of the attacks as she could, knowing that she couldn't trust her arm to block another attack like that.

The illusionist knew it was only a matter of time before the kunoichi tired herself out and dropped her guard. He kept his illusions attacking constantly, not giving her a moment to breathe or think. After a few minutes, he noticed how hard she was breathing and he went for the kill from her back.

At the last moment, Hinata spun around and struck her opponent over his heart with her Gentle Fist Style, stopping it from beating. He fell to his knees, surprised, "How? How did you know?" he asked.

"I'm of the Hyuuga clan." She stated simply. "I knew the whole time which one was the real you. I could see your chakra, unlike in your illusions. Once I faked my exhaustion, I knew you would come to me. I am the worst opponent for you." With that, she struck his heart again, restarting it, and withdrew the chakra binding rope from her pack and secured him.

Once the battle was over, they tied the newly captured prisoners to a tree to make sure they could not escape, especially the shinobi. With that task accomplished, they hurried back to the camp to find it the same as when they left. One squad was patrolling the perimeter and a second kept watch from the middle of the camp. The lights were off in the tents, indicating that the remaining two squads were already asleep, just as Shikamaru predicted.

"Shikamaru checked the time, then spoke to his team. "Okay, guys. So far, so good."

Sakura still wasn't sure what the genius had planned next, "How do we get in without alerting either the outer or the inner sentries?"

Shikamaru looked at her over his shoulder, "Good question. As you pointed out earlier, we can't attack the outer watch without the inner squad seeing us and setting off the alarm. Therefore, the only remaining option it to take out the middle group first."

He spoke as if it was the obvious choice, but it still didn't make any sense to the rest of the Konoha ninja. "And how exactly do we do that?" Naruto chimed in.

Shikamaru smiled at him, "Oh, I think you'll like it. It's just your style. I'll need your help, Naruto." He looked to the two kunoichi, "I'll need you two to be ready to take out the outer shinobi after we take care of the others. Naruto's clones can take care of the thugs."

Though the kunoichi still didn't understand how Shikamaru was going to handle the inner squad, they both nodded and trusted their teammate to do as he said.

The Konoha leader looked again to Naruto, "I need you to take care of the leader. You are the strongest among us, and she is the most likely to be troublesome. We will come help you as soon as we take care of the two sleeping squads. Does everyone understand?" The others nodded, unsurprised that Shikamaru had come up with the perfect strategy to remove their enemy's advantage of numbers and constantly give them the advantage of surprise.

Sakura saw Naruto grinning, "What are you so happy about?"

"Shikamaru said I was the strongest." said Naruto, puffing out his chest. Shikamaru and Hinata rolled their eyes.

The pink haired ninja punched Naruto as hard as she dared, not wanting to announce their presence to the raiders. "Focus, Naruto! After all, we are getting to your favorite part." Sakura said smiling, knowing that would get his attention.

"Hell ya!" said the blonde, throwing a fist in the air.

Shikamaru told Naruto his plan to surprise the guard cell and the blonde, after calling him crazy, followed him to where he would put his plan into action.

"Are you sure about this?" Naruto asked.

"Don't worry, it'll work." the genius replied. After confirming that Hinata and Sakura were ready to take down the outer sentries, he nodded to Naruto, signaling him to go. The jinchuriki made a clone of himself and hurled his lazy friend as hard as he could into the sky toward the guards. They were sitting back to back, each one facing a different cardinal direction so that they could see the entire camp and no one could sneak up on them.

The moon was nearly full, providing more than enough of light for shinobi to see by. Granted, this made sneaking up on an enemy much more difficult, but on the bright side, it also provided a shadow. With the moon at his back, Shikamaru's shadow landed directly over the guards. He quickly activated his signature jutsu and just like that, all four opponents were trapped. The genius added chakra to his jutsu, causing a shadowy hand to emerge and grab each raider by the throat until they were rendered unconscious.

Hinata and Sakura sprinted toward their opponents. The element of surprise was still with Hinata as she slammed her palm into the raider's chest, shutting down his chakra system. Sakura's opponent, however, realized something was wrong and threw a kunai at the alarm system before Sakura took him down from behind.

As Naruto's clones finished with the remaining sentry thugs, the remaining two squads emerged from their tents to discover their camp under attack. Shikamaru shouted at the blonde, "Naruto, go now! We will hold them off. Capture the leader!" As the genius finished his command, three raiders leaped upon him and he was forced to defend himself.

Taking once last glimpse of his friends fighting at his back, Naruto went straight for the largest of the three tents, knowing that it most likely belonged to the leader. Expecting his prey to be asleep, the demon-container quietly entered the tent, only to find the leader sitting at her desk with two cups filled with what looked like tea, staring at him.

"Ah, Naruto, right on time. Please have a seat. I have been waiting for you."

I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Don't forget my ultimatum. I'm sorry if it sounds harsh, but I need to know how I'm doing. I will not waste my time writing a story that gets no feedback. Please review! Also, still looking for someone to beta or review my chapters before I post them to the world so to speak. Let me know if you are interested.


	5. Chapter 5 - Fortunes of War

Author's note: Well, I guess two reviews will have to do. I still don't understand though. Almost 1100 hits, but only 8 reviews. That's less than 1% of viewers who review. Oh well. This chapter is the crux of what this story is all about. I don't really think it sounds as mystical as I was hoping, but with no one willing to beta, I guess it will have to do. I added the fight scenes last minute cause I like action. I hope you enjoy. Please review.

Jim Carrey Quote:Our love is like a red, red rose; and I'm a little thorny.

Last chapter's quote was from Ace Ventura as he was looking in his rear view mirror at a guy bashing in his car with a bat. No one guessed cause I assume no one cared.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 5 – Fortunes of War

"Ah, Naruto, right on time. Please have a seat. I have been waiting for you." said the leader of the raiders.

'Waiting for me? What does she mean she's been waiting for me? Who is this woman?' The blonde thought to himself. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something felt strange about the woman. She didn't seem to blink as much as she should and her voice seemed to come from several directions instead of simply from her. Beyond that, she spoke at a slow pace in a care-free manner, as if all she said should be obvious. She just didn't seem to fit in her body, similar to how Ino looked after performing her Mind Transfer Jutsu. None of this quite touched the supernatural feeling he felt around her.

As if reading his mind, she said, "How rude of me, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Aki." Holding her hand out toward an empty chair she prompted, "Please, sit with me. Would you like some tea?"

Naruto, unsure what to do, walked slowly to the chair opposite Aki and sat down. He figured stalling wouldn't be a bad thing. As soon as his friends secured the remaining raiders they would join him and then maybe Shikamaru could explain to him what the hell was going on.

"How did you know I was coming?" asked Naruto, unable to hide his curiosity.

"You mean you haven't heard the rumors?"

"The ones that say you can see the future? I doubt that." he said flatly.

"Even after what you have just seen?" Naruto frowned, considering her words. He could still hear the occasional clang of metal striking metal from the battle continuing on outside as his friends fought to buy him time.

"If you knew I was coming, why were your guards not better prepared?" he questioned.

"Simple, I wanted you to come here so I could speak to you. To warn you."

"Warn me? Warn me of what?" Naruto asked, surprised.

Outside, the battle raged on between the other three Konoha ninja and the final two squads of raiders. The ground was littered with miniature craters and fissures from Sakura's mighty fists. A few trees were still burning from a fire jutsu that one of the enemy shinobi performed.

All in all, things were pretty evenly matched. Shikamaru was keeping several of the raiders occupied with his shadows, but it was more than the Nara could handle. The problem was that he needed to keep an eye on everything. Granted, he could focus on one opponent at a time and most likely succeed with his shadow within a few moments, the problem is what could happen in those moments. Seven versus two was probably beyond the ability of his teammates.

Instead the genius was playing as the distraction and safeguard support. By sending out his shadows at all of the raiders at once, he was very unlikely to capture an enemy, and even if he did, they would be able to break it in a few moments due to his lack of focus. However, it also caused the raiders to remain moving at all times and unable to focus on one of his teammates.

Sakura had already successfully landed one of her bone-crushing punches on one of the weaker raider who was too focused on the shadow wielder's ability and not on the pink kunoichi, rendering him out of the fight for good. Hinata gained the upper hand on one of her opponents, but just before she could land the finishing blow, another raider came up from behind and nearly cut her head off with his katana. If not for Shikamaru's shadow holding him in place at the last second, she would have been done for. Instead she received a deep gash in her shoulder, but returned the favor tenfold by a 64 palm strike to the raider's chakra system: two down, six to go.

In the leader's tent, Naruto awaited Aki's warning. Her eyes were focused exclusively on him. Her gaze was as intimidating as it was intelligent. "He's coming for you; The man in the orange mask. He's coming to take what is inside you, jinchuriki." Aki smiled at the shocked look on the blonde's face. "Yes, I know who you are, Uzumaki Naruto, and I know the power that resides inside of you. Come closer, and let me show you what I have seen." She made some hand signs and a cool fire appeared in the corner of the room.

Naruto, unable to resist, leaned forward to see what Aki had to show him. He remembered the Akatsuki member with the orange mask. Nagato had told him that he was the true leader of Akatsuki. If what she foresaw was true, Konoha would be hard pressed indeed to defeat him. If Pain alone nearly took out the village, how much more could the Akatsuki army do?

The fire began crack and spark with an unknown power. Suddenly, Naruto could see shapes taking form in the flames. He could see Konoha. He recognized it by the mountain in the background with the faces of the past Hokage.

Outside the village was a swirling mass. No, wait; it was an army, with what appeared to be hundreds of ninja besieging the great city. Flames roared from the village and Naruto saw many of his friends and fellow shinobi cut down without mercy. Some by blade, some ninja roasted alive by a fire jutsu, and another group of villagers trapped and dying in a collapsed building, and much worse. The streets of the village were running red with the blood of its defenders. The image looked so real that tears began falling from the blonde's eyes.

Outside, the remaining enemy regrouped, realizing that they were slowly losing their advantage in numbers. Sakura hurried to the Hyuuga's side, healing her gash at least to the point where it stopped bleeding and would no longer hinder her ability to fight. Hinata nodded her appreciation. Both kunoichi looked tired, but neither looked worse than Shikamaru. The shadow wielder was panting and sweating profusely. Using his shadow to hinder so many opponents quickly wore down his chakra levels. He certainly would not be able to distract the raiders if this battle drew out much longer.

Both females were watching him, hoping he had some sort of plan. The Nara took a deep breathe and put his hands together in an "O" shape. He knew he didn't have much time. The enemy was formulating a plan just as he was. He would just have to be faster and smarter; the lives of his friends were on the line.

_Flashback: (manga 235 - Konoha Hospital: Mission Status)_

_Shikamaru didn't understand what went so wrong. They left to bring Sasuke back. Four critically injured ninja later, here they were at the hospital; and it was all his fault. He was the leader. He made the call that they split up to hold off the sound four. Because of his reckless decision, the lives of his friends were in danger. He couldn't do this anymore. _

_He stood up and left the waiting room. His father was waiting for him at the exit. "If your companions are really that important to you, before you think about running away, consider that you may become greater for the sake of your friends!"_

_End Flashback_

Shikamaru smirked at the memory. He shook his head, returning his focus. Observations of the raiders movements, skills, and jutsus ran through his mind as he considered what they might do so he could formulate an appropriate response. His own team's remaining chakra, inventory, and limitations were also considerations. Strategies play out by the dozen, filtered for likelihood and risk assessment. Less than thirty seconds from when he began, Shikamaru opened his eyes.

He reached into his pack and pulled out two cloth covered blades, handing one to each kunoichi. Explaining their purpose, they nodded as he continued revealing his plan.

"They will most likely come for me. They know that my shadow technique was the only thing stopping them from ripping us apart in our last encounter." the young Nara said.

"But your nearly out of chakra, you won't be able to hold them back this time." Hinata interrupted.

Shikamaru smiled, "But they don't know that. I'll be the bait. You two use those blades like I showed you and that will help even the odds. Oh, and try not to be too long. This is troublesome enough as it is."

Suddenly, the six raiders charged, heading heedlessly toward the Konoha ninja. Trying to stop them would have been similar to stopping a battering ram mid swing. Sakura and Hinata leaped to the left as Shikamaru did the same to the right. The enemy followed the lone shinobi with abandon. The two Kunoichi looked at one another and nodded before performing their assigned tasks.

Shikamaru ran for his life, literally. He threw his last exploding tag on the ground, forcing the raiders to split up for a moment before reuniting once more and dashing toward the shadow wielder. Hoping the kunoichi had enough time to set up, he sprinted back toward the camp where the battle first began. His pursuers were getting more creative in their means of catching the young shinobi. A giant fireball landed to his right, forcing him to turn left. An earth wall rose in front of him, forcing him to turn left once again.

'They are leading me somewhere. This won't be good.' he thought.

Then he saw it; the cliff. If they could trap him against it, there would be nowhere to go but through the raiders, and he knew he couldn't do that with his current chakra level. He was barely escaping the kunai and fireballs that were being hurled at him as it was. Weaving in between the trees was the only thing keeping him alive. As he suspected, another earth wall arose in front of him, forcing him to arc toward the cliff.

Shikamaru stopped when he reached the edge, for a split second appreciated that were it not for his predicament, this would be a perfect spot for cloud gazing. Returning his attention to his hunters, he noted that there were now only four of them. They seemed to be reaching the same conclusion themselves as they stared at one another in confusion.

Naruto looked on as the image of the burning village vanished as mysteriously as it came.

"This is what will occur in three days if you are not in Konoha. The village will fall, but you will live, and Madara will not capture the kyuubi, at least not yet. You must not return to Konoha." said Aki with a sense of pleading. "You say you will unite the ninja of the world, you say if there is such a thing as peace you will seize it, this is how to do it! Madara will overstep his bounds by destroying the Leaf. You could unite the remaining hidden villages against him and defeat the Akatsuki once and for all. You can achieve your dream, Naruto." She explained logically.

Naruto was shaking with rage. He could feel his canines biting into his cheek, but he didn't care. "How can you just expect me to abandon my friends and run away from this?" he asked, his eyes filled with fury.

Aki didn't flinch beneath his glare. "Because I have followed both forks of this path. In every scenario I have seen, If you are there when the attack occurs, your path ends. I see nothing but darkness in your future should you choose to return to Konoha and fight for your friends. By beginning this group of raiders, and suggesting to the local village elder that you be requested for the mission, I gave you the excuse you needed to leave the village without suspicion."

"It was you? You were the one who requested me? You set all this up just to get me out of the village?" Naruto questioned.

"Of course. I couldn't very well say 'hello, I had a vision where your village is going to be destroyed. Good luck!'" she said sarcastically. "I needed to get you here where I could make you understand the importance of your survival." She walked over and placed her hand on his shoulder and knelt down to eye level.

"I can help you. I can tell you where and how to strike back at Madara. But now is not the time. He will win this round. Accept it, and fight later to win the war." Aki kept eye contact with Naruto the entire time, showing him how serious she was about what she said.

Naruto could see the wisdom in what she said. It made sense logically. But this wasn't a question of logic to him. What was the point of saving the world without his friends in it? Without Sakura in it?

"Madara has all of the other eight bijuu. If he takes the Nine-tails, then it won't matter how many of your friends you save." She said, reading his mind once more. "They will live only to be his slaves forever if he takes you. Is that what you want?" Aki questioned.

Naruto stood abruptly, waving off her arm on his shoulder, "I don't care. I can't just sit here while my friends are dying. I have to go back to help them."

"Then you will fall into darkness. It can be no other way." Aki said sadly.

Naruto smiled, "I will take care of Madara and bring peace to this world, believe it. That's a promise."

Aki dropped her head in resignation. His faith in himself and his friends was both his greatest strength and his greatest weakness. She had doubted she would be able to change his mind, but she had to try, for the sake of the world. "Very well, Naruto. The choice was yours to make. I will not interfere any further. I wish you luck in saving your friends, for however brief a time." With that, Aki turned to vapor and vanished without a trace.

Sakura and Hinata revealed themselves from the treeline pinning the remaining four raiders between themselves and Shikamaru.

_Flashback: OC – a few moments ago_

_The two kunoichi removed the cloth to reveal Asuma's chakra blades. Imbued with Shikamaru's chakra, the blades would pin anyone within a few feet for 15 seconds or so before the blades ran out of energy._

_As Shikamaru fled from the raiders, Sakura and Hinata followed from the sidelines. When the shadow wielder threw his last explosive tag they unleashed their blades, pinning two of the pack, making sure to catch the more powerful shinobi. With a simple flux of chakra to the temple, Sakura put her raider to sleep. Hinata's opponent fell with a ninja chop to the back of the neck. They both quickly resumed their pursuit until they caught the remaining enemy at the cliff where they had trapped their leader._

_End Flashback_

__Now only four raiders, of whom only two were shinobi, were surrounded by three of Konoha's finest ninja. Still, the fight would not be easy. Shikamaru was on the brink of passing out from using so much chakra and his mad dash through the woods. He hoped he had enough chakra for the final part of his plan. He took a deep breathe to steady himself and ordered, "Now, Hinata!"

The heiress threw a round ball in the air. She and her other female teammate both covered their eyes as the ball exploded in a flash of light. The light bomb shone bright, causing the shadows of the four raiders to extend towards the master of shadows. Shikamaru connected their shadows with his. However, due to his low chakra, one enemy shinobi easily broke the connection and jumped away. The kunoichi quickly took down the remaining raiders before they were able to do the same.

Shikamaru fell to his knees and winced, "Sorry guys, the last one is up to you." the genius fell over and passed out. Sakura quickly checked on him to ensure it was merely chakra exhaustion and not something more serious. She nodded to Hinata to confirm he would be okay, then they both took their stances against the final ninja.

With the numbers finally in their favor, the kunoichi advanced. The last of the raiders was quite proficient in taijutsu. Even against two powerful opponents he was holding his ground. He was surprisingly agile, which allowed him to simultaneously dodge a leg sweep from Sakura and a palm strike to the chest from Hinata by somehow fitting himself between the two blows.

The teamwork displayed by the Konoha ninja was perfect. Each strike was complimented by the other, and they left few openings for their foe to become the aggressor. Even so, they simply couldn't land a hit against the lithe raider. Sakura considered his movements more closely. She was trained extensively in evasion by her master, so she knew that dodging was limited by predicting the enemies movements and the speed of the evader.

From her inspection of her foe's movements, she noticed that he was moving before she did. Somehow he knew where and how the kunoichi were going to strike. That was impossible. The only way he could do that was if he was in her head. Her eyes widened in realization. Sakura halted mid strike and focused her chakra, spiking it periodically. "Kai!"

The world around the kunoichi shattered like glass as the genjutsu fell, revealing the same environment and their opponent for the first time looking concerned, though he tried to hide it. Sakura sprinted toward the raider before he could ensnare them once more. She leaped into the sky shouting, "Shannaro!" before landing with a fearsome drop kick that buried the genjutsu user in a deep crater.

Hinata finished securing the raider as Sakura went back to wake Shikamaru. When he woke, she gave him a soldier pill to replenish his energy and the three Konoha shinobi quickly headed to the leader's tent to see if Naruto needed their help.

Shikamaru, Sakura and Hinata ran into the tent a few moments later to discover Naruto staring at the desk with his back to them. Sakura could tell from his posture that he was furious. She slowly approached her teammate and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Naruto, what happened?"

"Let's go home. Our mission is complete. The raiders are no more." he said, avoiding her question. Naruto spun around, shrugging Sakura's arm off of him, and vanished out of the tent and into the night.

"Naruto..." Sakura watched as he left, unsure if she should follow or not.

Shikamaru could feel the tension rising in his team. He knew as team leader, it was his responsibility to keep his team functionally smoothly, and that meant easing the tension between the teammates. "Let's camp here for the night. The raiders were generous enough to gather food and firewood for us, and we can use their tents to save additional time. Besides, I'm too tired to do anything else tonight."

"I'll take first watch tonight." Naruto said.

"That won't be necessary. You said yourself that the raiders were no more. We won't need a watch tonight. You should get some rest too, Naruto." Shikamaru answered.

"I'll stand watch. There is no harm in being prepared." The blonde stubbornly replied.

The team leader figured that Naruto could use a little time to himself to allow him to work through whatever was bugging him from his confrontation with the leader of the raiders. Eventually however, he would need to know what had occurred between them, and he knew that whatever it was would be troublesome. Until then, Shikamaru decided to give the blonde his space.

After a few hours of awkward silence between the team members, they began heading off to sleep one by one. Sakura and Hinata occupied one of the tents and Shikamaru rested in another while Naruto remained seated unmoving on a boulder outside.

Sakura lay on the ground unable to fall asleep. She couldn't help but remember the look on Naruto's face when he shrugged off her hand and left the raider's tent. He looked like he had just after he discovered that Jiriaya had died fighting Pain. Whatever had caused it, it was something important.

Naruto was always an optimistic person; always thinking the best of even the most hopeless situations. For him to sink that low into a depression so quickly meant that he had learned something terrible, and she was determined to discover what it was. Making her decision, she jumped out of her cover and headed towards Naruto. She stood in the bushes, trying to figure out if she was doing the right thing in confronting him.

"I can feel your chakra. Come on out, Sakura." he said with more sadness that she could stand. The fact that he left out the honorific of her name worried her. Something was definitely wrong. She emerged from the trees and observed her long time teammate.

He looked like he wasn't planning on sleeping at all tonight. She could see the cogs of his mind spinning, thinking harder than should be allowed for two in the morning. She just looked at him for a while trying to think of what to say. He seemed content to just sit there and wait for her to speak. He had nothing better to do anyway.

Sakura couldn't take the silence anymore. "Naruto, please tell me what's wrong. You can't just hold it in like this. If it is affecting you this bad then I deserve to know so I can help you. We are teammates, we can't keep secrets from each other." she said.

She was right, she did deserve to know. This obviously affected her too. That and he really was too tired to argue with her. He would have answered any question she asked just then. Naruto sighed deeply and spoke. "The leader of the raiders told me that the Akatsuki are going to attack Konoha in three days."

Sakura pondered that for a moment. She knew the seriousness of the threat that Akatsuki posed to their village. Even so, she was optimistic, "We'll be alright, Naruto. We have advance notice this time. We can prepare. Especially with you there we can-"

"She also told me that if I fight in the battle I will fall into darkness." Naruto interrupted. Apparently unable to hold it in any longer, the blonde quickly told the kunoichi everything else that had transpired during his meeting with Aki.

Sakura was speechless. She tried to wrap her mind around all that her best friend had told her. Akatsuki was going to invade Konoha in three days to capture the kyuubi with an army of hundreds of rogue shinobi. Many villagers and ninja were going to die. Naruto was going to die. She considered arguing with him. She wanted to yell at him to take Aki's advice and get as far from Konoha as he could.

She held her tongue, knowing that he wouldn't change his mind. She smiled to herself. She was fiercely proud of Naruto's decision when he knew what it was going to cost him. Then tears came to her eyes. What about what it would cost her? What was she supposed to do if Naruto died? He was her best friend, her teammate, her-

Naruto's deep voice interrupted her thoughts. "Sakura, promise me that you will do something."

"What is it, Naruto?" she asked.

Naruto looked up for the first time into her eyes. Sakura almost started crying again at all of the emotion she saw in his blue eyes. "Promise me that you won't return to Konoha with me."

"What?" Sakura said with shock evident in her voice.

Naruto looked away, unable to maintain the eye contact. "Promise me you will stay away from Konoha until this is all over. Promise me you will be safe."

Sakura's eyes turned cold. "No. No way. I am a shinobi of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. That means it is my responsibility to defend it from any threat, no matter how dangerous or unlikely the odds. I am also a medic ninja. It is my duty to be there to save as many as I can. How many of our friends would die because I wasn't there to heal their wounds? Would you cower if you were in my place?"

She paused, "How can you just expect me to abandon my friends and run away from this?" she said, throwing the same words Naruto said to Aki when she asked him to stay away from Kohona back at him.

Naruto sighed. He knew she was right. It wasn't fair for him to ask her to do what he was unwilling to do himself. Her description of her duty as a shinobi struck him to his core because it was exactly how he felt. He thought it was his responsibility to defend the village, even if it cost him his life.

He knew she would be needed in the fight; for both her ferocity in battle and her healing ability. However, out of everyone in his life, she was the one that he could not live without. Even if the worst should happen and his home was destroyed, life would still be worth living if she was in it.

He loved that she had the same desire to defend her friends and her village that he had. Well, if she was going to fight in the largest ninja battle since the Third Great Ninja War, then he would protect her with his life if need be.

Sakura saw a wide range of emotions cross her friend's face ranging from despair to joy to pain and finally to resolve. She wouldn't admit it, but she was worried about the Aki's prediction, especially the one regarding Naruto. There was something ominous about the prophecy that made it seem like the outcome was unavoidable.

She had seen firsthand what happened to jinchuriki who were captured by the Akatsuki. She remembered the blank stare of Gaara as he lay dead at the feet of Diedara and Sasori after they had ripped the One-tailed beast from him. She couldn't imagine the blonde, who was always so full of life, with those same dead, blank eyes. It truly terrified her.

She had to go back to the village, not just for her duties, but for Naruto. She needed to be there to protect him and to heal him if need be. She had to do everything she could to ensure he wouldn't fall into their clutches. To make sure he wouldn't argue any more, she threw out one more irresistible reason with a smile. "Tell you what; I'll even eat ramen with you when we get back home. But you are paying!"

Naruto's whole face brightened at her offer. "Okay, Sakura-chan, it's a date!"

"It's not a date!" said Sakura, not knowing if she was kidding.

Naruto chuckled, and then turned serious. "Thank you, Sakura-chan."

The kunoichi approached him slowly and placed her hand on his cheek. "Everything will turn out fine, Naruto. I believe in you." She wished that she felt as confident as she sounded. She truly did believe in Naruto. He had never let her down.

He had given his all to chase Sasuke down and he had trained hard for three years with the Toad Sannin to fulfill his promise to her. He had defeated foes that no one had thought possible, including the seemingly invincible Pain. However, she feared that his literal "Do or Die" philosophy on life was one day going to take its toll.

_Flashback (manga 486 – After Sasuke Killed Danzo)_

"_We have become top-class ninjas, Sasuke. Both of us. So tell me, did you see what was in my heart? How I really feel? Did you see what will happen if we fight again? We're both going to die!" Sakura went wide eyed. 'Die? What was Naruto talking about?'_

"_Our battle will be inevitable if you really do attack the Leaf. So keep your hatred, let it fester, and hit me with it full force. I'm the only one who can bear the full brunt of your hate! It's my job, no one else's! I'll bear the burden of your hatred and we'll die together!"_

_End Flashback_

'Why was he so committed to die for Sasuke, but not to live for her?' Sakura thought. This is exactly why she had confessed to him in the Land of Snow. This was the showdown she was trying to avoid. Why couldn't she have killed Sasuke when she had the chance? Why couldn't she have been stronger? Why was it always Naruto who had to carry the heaviest of burdens?

Knowing the cost, he is willing to fight Sasuke to save him from his hate. And now, once again, Naruto plans to tempt fate and battle the Akatsuki army, even though a prophecy predicts his down fall. Not knowing what else to say, Sakura said, "Goodnight, Naruto" before leaving him alone to his thoughts. She turned back one last time before entering her tent. Naruto smiled and nodded at her, assuring her that he felt better after their talk. Touching his face where her hand had been, Naruto smiled before falling asleep against the stone.

Author's Note: Please let me know what you thought of this chapter and the prophecy. I was thinking of a "kamino person" from star wars when describing Aki as far as how they talk and act (not how she looks obviously). Also picturing spider-man with the agile ninja at the end. Hope the fight/prophecy back and forth blended well. Like I said, it was last minute addition. Til next time.

narp73


	6. Chapter 6 - Calm Before the Storm

Author's Note: Here's the next chapter. Sorry, no action this chapter. Some good naru/saku development. I got some good reviews from last chapter so thanks to triforcepwnage and Dinesh for the advice!

Jim Carrey Quote: Your entrance was good... his was better. The difference: showmanship. (a little obscure...)

Last chapters quote was from "The Mask." and no one has even been guessing these, what's up? I'll post your name if you get it right (unless you'd rather stay anonymous)

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 6 – The Calm before the Storm

Hunted. Naruto's footsteps were heavy as he ran through the forest; a clear sign of any ninja's exhaustion. His legs burned as he moved uphill hoping he could trick his pursuer into thinking he took the easy downhill path. No way he was that lucky. Panting, the blonde leaned against a tree for a moment, but was forced to press on as a kunai embedded itself into the recently abandoned tree.

Naruto reached the peak of the Hokage Mountain and awed at the destruction he saw. It was exactly as Aki had shown him. Blood. Fire. Screams. Death. His home was being destroyed despite his efforts. Konoha shinobi to the end, Naruto turned around to face his hunter.

Crimson eyes burned through the night as Sasuke Uchiha emerged from the treeline, trapping Naruto against the cliff edge of the Hokage Monument. A thousand birds chirped as blue lightning laced across the young Uchiha's arm. A flash of light and it was over. Blood coursed down the arm of the sharingan user as he pulled it out of the chest of his old teammate.

Naruto looked from Sasuke to the grievous wound and back to his brother's eyes. 'Why, Sasuke?' was his last thought before falling backwards off the mountain. The breeze was cool as he fell. His village grew closer and closer as the blonde closed his eyes. 'Goodbye, Sakura-Chan'

Naruto woke with a yelp, still envisioning the ground growing ever closer. He knew the dream came from Aki. She was trying to tell him something. Sasuke would attack Konoha with the Akatsuki army. Finally aware of his surroundings, he could tell that it was still just before dawn. Naruto stood and ran to wake his teammates.

A bit grumpily, Naruto managed to gather his friends by bribing them with breakfast. "Spit it out, Naruto, why did you wake us so early?" Shikamaru said, still longing for his bed.

"It's about what happened last night in the leader's tent." Naruto started. "You remember the rumors that the leader could see the future?" The team nodded. "She told me that Konoha is going to be attacked."

"What? When?" Hinata asked.

"Three days as of last night, so two and a half now." he answered.

Hinata looked shocked, but Shikamaru knew this wasn't the worst of it. "Akatsuki, right?"

The blonde nodded. "How did you know?"

Shikamaru said, "They are the only group that we know of with anywhere close to the resources to bother trying. Plus, you look too worried about it for it to be an unheard of group." the young Nara sighed loudly, "Did she say anything else?"

Naruto exchanged a glance with Sakura that didn't go unnoticed by the shadow-wielder. 'She knows something.' he thought.

"No, just the warning." Naruto answered.

The team leader eyed the blonde a moment longer, but could tell nothing more from his face. "I knew this wasn't going to be good news. We need to hurry back and tell the Hokage. With the Akatsuki coming in two days, the more time we have to prepare the village the better." No one disagreed. After swiftly packing their belongings, they began the long trek home.

They traveled quickly and with few breaks. Though they all were exhausted from the trip, they knew that the Hokage needed to be told about the invasion that was soon to be at hand and that gave them the endurance to move even faster. The ever-energetic Naruto led the way as Hinata, using her Byakugan made sure they wouldn't run into any trouble.

With no unforeseen delays, the team managed to turn a two day journey into one and a half. When at last the Konoha gate in view, the team let out a sigh of relief that they didn't know they were holding that the village was as they had left it.

As they entered the village, Shikamaru said, "Naruto, go report to Lady Tsunade. Tell her all that you have told us." The blonde quickly ran off in the direction of the Hokage Tower to give his report.

"Sakura, go to the hospital and inform them to expect several wounded in the coming days." The medic-nin nodded and shot off toward the hospital.

"Hinata, spread the word to the villagers to gather their things and expect to evacuate their homes. I will begin planning the villages defenses." They separated and went about their respective tasks.

Naruto arrived at the Hokage Tower and burst into Tsunade's office with his usual flare. "Baa-chan, we are back and we've got bad news."

"Not now, Naruto, can't you see I'm busy?" said the Hokage as she signed another form that barely put a dent in the large stack before her. She sure could use a drink about now.

"Fine," he said, nonchalantly, "I guess you don't want to hear about our successful mission…"

"Not now, Naruto." said the slug princess.

"Or about what became of those raiders and their leader…" Naruto continued.

Tsunade, growing more irritated, said, "Not now, Naruto!"

"Or about how an Akatsuki army will be at our gate tomorrow evening…" He said as if he never heard her.

"NOT NOW, NARU-, wait WHAT!?" the Hokage yelled, not believing she heard him right.

"Oh, so you DO have time for my report?" Naruto said, with a sly grin.

Tsunade jumped up from her desk and slammed him against the nearest wall. "What's this about an Akatsuki army?" Now she really needed a drink.

After Naruto explained the situation to her, again leaving out the prophecy regarding himself, the Hokage summoned several ANBU ninja into the room. "I want you to bring Kakashi, Shikamaru, Shikaku, and as many elders as they could find right now! Dismissed!" The elite ninja nodded, bowed and shishuned away to complete their assignments.

Once the top minds in the village arrived, Naruto began with his conversation with the leader of the raiders. "While my team held off the raiders outside, I snuck into the leader's tent, but she was there waiting, as if she was expecting me all along. At first I didn't believe the rumors about her being able to tell the future, but after the things she showed me, I'm not so sure anymore."

"What did you see?" asked Shikaku.

"She showed me the village during the coming attack. There were hundreds of enemy ninja. I've never seen so many ninja in one battle. Shinobi on both sides were being slaughtered." Naruto paused, trying to think of the words to describe the devastation he saw in Aki's tent. "I can't describe how much blood there was on the ground, on the walls. Body parts were lying everywhere and people were screaming in terror and pain."

"It is because you are too young to know what war really is." Kakashi said stoically. "Most of us have seen with our own eyes what you describe, and we know it too well. It is not something one forgets easily." the other older shinobi nodded in agreement.

"When is this invasion supposed to occur?" asked a village elder named Saito.

"Three days from their meeting; in other words, tomorrow night." Shikamaru answered. "There is no reason to assume that this force expects us to be ready for their assault. Although we are short on time, we can have several surprises ready for them when they come."

"How do we even know this vision is even true? Naruto could have been tricked." Saito said.

"We can't. But we also can't take the risk that it is true. Evacuate the villagers to the shelter immediately and begin preparations for our defense. Shikamaru, I want you in charge of this." said the Hokage. The young Nara bowed, muttering under his breathe about how troublesome this would be.

Naruto was questioned over and over again in an attempt to obtain more details about the encounter. He told them of his dream of Sasuke and what he thought it meant. The blonde was hard pressed not to reveal any information regarding his own portion of the prophecy.

After nearly an hour of questioning, Naruto was dismissed and told that he could rest while they planned the defense of the village.

As he left the office, he saw Sakura asleep on a bench. She was still wearing her mission outfit. He wondered if she had gone home at all or is she had simply gone straight to the tower to wait for him after leaving the hospital. Naruto just stared at her sleeping form for a while, admiring her beauty. She may be wearing clothes covered in filth, sweat and blood, but she still looked gorgeous to him. After a while, he approached her and gently shook her arm to wake her.

Still groggy from having slept, Sakura said, "Naruto? What's going to happen now?"

"Planning and thinking and lots of other things I'm not good at." he said with a chuckle.

After shaking her head to get rid of the last cobwebs of slumber, Sakura said, "Well, I guess there is nothing we can do for now. Come on, I'm starving. Let's get that dinner you owe me."

Never one to complain about any additional time he got to spend with his best friend, Naruto nodded. Helping her up from the bench, they headed off to Ichiraku's together.

Along they way they passed several memorable places in the village. First was the bridge where they always used to wait for Kakashi to show up before missions. Second was the academy; their first step towards becoming shinobi. Last came the training ground where they first truly became Team Seven.

Both were swimming in memories. Sakura was brought out of her thoughts when her teammate spoke. "I haven't forgotten my promise Sakura-Chan. I will bring him back."

She rarely knew what to say to him when Sasuke came up in conversation. The ex-member of Team Seven had left a big hole in both of their lives when he left; one that Sai just couldn't fill. Even so, with war literally at their doorstep, now wasn't the time to daydream about the day Sasuke would return. "We'll bring him back someday, Naruto. Together." She smiled and elbowed him in the side. "Besides, I have all I need right here."

Naruto held his side feigning injury, but couldn't keep the smile off his face. "Thank you, Sakura-Chan."

Despite the tense atmosphere now that word had spread about the impending attack, the two teammates were having a good time, enjoying each other's company. As they walked, some of Naruto's fan-girls began following, giggling all the while. Naruto glanced at Sakura with an apologetic look. The pink haired ninja turned around, stuck her tongue out at the girls, and wrapped her arm around Naruto's.

The fan girls looked one last time at Naruto hopefully, but he was still in shock at what Sakura had done. One particularly brave girl crossed her arms and sneered at the medic-nin. Shaking her head, the pink haired shinobi picked up a stone from the ground and using her bare hand, crushed the rock to dust. Finally, the girls gave up and left, cursing Sakura under their breath. Satisfied that Naruto would be left alone, for a while at least, she slowly unwrapped her arm from his and they continued their way to the ramen shop.

As the sun was setting, they walked the rest of the way in a comfortable silence and sat down at the bar, waiting to order their food. The shop owner arrived shortly after and seeing Naruto said, "Ah! There is my favorite customer! What will it be for you two?"

"Good to see you too, old man. We'll have two miso ramens please!" said Naruto with a thumbs up. The blond was practically jumping in his seat with excitement. When their food arrived,he dug straight in, paying no attention to table manners or his female companion.

Sakura played with her noodles while observing her best friend. Even after six years, Naruto had never forsaken his first love; ramen. He had matured a lot since they had first become Team Seven. He rarely did pranks anymore, 'unless they really deserved it' as he always said (he had got Tsunade good once by replacing her secret stash with hot sauce after she forced him to go on a D rank mission). Though he didn't always use it, he really was intelligent. His ability to strategize on the fly, in the middle of a fight helped give him his reputation for being the number one unpredictable ninja.

Even physically, he had matured. His body had toned out evenly, losing the remains of baby fat and replacing it with well toned muscles due to his excessive training. He had certainly grown quite handsome over the last few years. Yet for all of his recently acquired maturity, it all flew out the window whenever ramen came into the picture.

Aside from his height, Sakura could easily see the twelve year old Naruto come out in moments like this. She was torn about whether she should laugh at him or whack him over the head for being such a baka. It reminded her of when she first saw Naruto after he had defeated Pain and convinced Nagato to revive the fallen shinobi of the village.

_Flashback (manga 450 – Konoha Village: After Naruto Defeated Pain)_

_She ran to where the other villagers awaited Naruto's return. At last, the recently revived Kakashi walked through the tree line with the blonde on his back. He looked exhausted. His uniform was crumpled and torn and covered in blood, filth, and sweat. He had never looked better to her, he was alive! _

_She eased her way through the crowd trying to get to him. As she was approaching, another emotion took a hold of her; fury. How dare he try to take on Pain all by himself? He could have been killed! How could he be so reckless? She eventually broke through the crowd and he saw her._

"_Sakura?"_

_She moved toward him slowly. When they were face to face, she struck him over the head with as much power as her emotionally wrecked body could muster. "You are always so rash, dummy!" she screamed in frustration. _

_As he was falling to the ground from the unexpected blow, she caught him in her arms. She lifted him up to his feet again and embraced him as tightly as she could, cupping his head in her hand and moving her fingers through his hair. "Thank you."_

_End Flashback_

Naruto apparently broke through his ramen haze long enough to notice that she hadn't eaten any of her food yet. "What's wrong Sakura-chan? Doesn't your food taste good?" he asked innocently.

Sakura sighed, "The food is fine, Naruto. I was just thinking."

"What about?" he asked.

"You." said Sakura. She blushed, realizing she spoke without thinking, "I mean, about how much you have grown." She nodded toward the ramen, smiling. "And how much you haven't."

Naruto started scratching the back of his head like he always did when nervous or embarrassed. "What can I say, Sakura-Chan? Some things never change." Sakura noticed his face suddenly tense as if deep in thought. "Sakura, I need to tell you something."

Again, the lack of the honorific worried her. She could tell that the blonde was nervous about what he was going to say. He kept looking anywhere but her and fidgeting with his hands. When nothing further was forthcoming, she prompted, "Out with it, Naruto."

If anything, he was more nervous now than before. Finally he spoke, "Sakura, I-" Just then, an ANBU agent appeared, interrupting whatever Naruto was going to say.

"Sakura, the Hokage requests your presence. Please report as soon as possible." With that, he disappeared.

Sakura looked at Naturo, expecting him to finish his sentence. After a several seconds had passed, she said, "I guess I better go. Another time, Naruto?" She wished he would just talk to her. It wasn't like Naruto to keep anything from her. The fact that he was now, with all that had happened recently, and the battle that was sure to come, made her want to knock the ANBU ninja who interrupted them to the other side of the village.

Naruto smiled at her. She knew he was faking. She always knew when he was faking. Did he really think that after all of the time they had been teammates and friends that she wouldn't know how to tell when he was smiling and when he just didn't want her to worry? "Of course, Sakura-Chan. It wasn't important anyway. I'll tell you later." he said.

"Okay, later." She stood up and waved and took off for the Hokage Tower.

As Naruto watched her leave, he dropped his smile and instantly regretted not having the guts to tell her. The truth was Aki's prophecy scared the hell out of him. He had fought against fate his whole life. He fought Neji in the Chuunin exams to prove that you didn't have to be a genius to be the better ninja. He fought tooth and nail to make friends and be recognized by his fellow shinobi as strong.

He fought to show the village that he was more than the demon inside of him. He fought Pain to show that it was possible for ninja to understand one another and for peace to reign instead of hate and revenge. What if this time fate won? What if he was doomed to fail this time? Destined to watch his village, his home, burn? Condemned to lose Sakura forever? Doomed to die.

What if right there in the ramen shop was the last chance he was going to get to tell her how much he loved her? He thought back to when he, Sakura, and Sai had returned from a mission.

_Flashback (manga 457 – Konoha Village: Sai's Observation)_

_After having recently returned to Konoha from a mission, Naruto, Sakura and Sai prepared to part ways._

"_I've got something to do, so I'll go on ahead. You guys report to Kakashi." said Sakura._

"_Yeah, we will!" Naruto said with a smile and a thumbs up._

_Sai watched the exchange and Naruto's continued smile even though Sakura had already began walking away. "Naruto, you like Sakura, Don't you?"_

_Flabbergasted, the blonde said, "What?"_

_Sai pressed on, "I read it in a book. People always smile around people they like. And you are always smiling at her. Did you tell her how you feel?"_

_Naruto fell deep in thought and turned to face Sakura's retreating form. Sighing, he said, "How can I? I can't even keep my promises." Once he brought Sasuke back, maybe then he could tell her how he felt._

_End Flashback_

He had always told himself that he wouldn't die until he became Hokage and everyone recognized him. Therefore, he figured he had time to wait and see if his teammate would ever return his feelings. Now, for the first time in his life, he was concerned that he was running out of time and wouldn't get to achieve his dreams. Worried that he would die tomorrow night.

He paid the old man for the ramen and left the shop. He wandered aimlessly through the streets of Konoha. 'Will these buildings still be here after the fight? Will the people inside still be alive to rebuild it if it falls?' These thoughts plagued him until he arrived at the memorial stone that had the names of all of the shinobi that had lost their lives defending the village.

He had never realized how many names were carved into the stone; there were hundreds of them. He wondered how many more names would be there over the next few days. He wondered if anyone would still be alive to carve them. Naruto didn't know how long he stood there reading name after name that he didn't recognize.

When he finally came to, he realized that he was not alone observing the stone. Kakashi stood only a few feet away standing silently, also staring at the stone. Realizing that the blonde was watching him, he said, "So, you aren't completely dead to the world yet, eh Naruto?"

His choice of words caused Naruto to wince unconsciously, which his sensei noticed. "Not yet, sensei. What are you doing here?"

"I came looking for you. It took me a while to find you. I didn't expect you to be here. We have concluded our strategy meeting until tomorrow. Shikamaru will spend the night contemplating a plan for the defense of Konoha. In the morning, we will discuss the plan and consider any improvements or alterations. Being the focal point of the battle, I figured you ought to participate in the discussion in the morning." the Copy-nin said.

Naruto nodded and clenched his fists, "I'll be there."

Kakashi glanced at his student from the corner of his eye. He could tell by his posture that something was bothering him. Usually, he was excited before a battle, for a chance to protect those he cared for. Kakashi suspected that Naruto had not told the whole truth about the prophecy.

He decided to test his theory, "So, Naruto, What did this fortune teller really say?" Kakashi smiled under his mask at the stunned look on the blonde's face. It seems he wasn't too far off the mark after all.

"How did you know?" said a still confused Naruto.

His sensei turned to face him, "Call it intuition. Now, tell me everything."

Author's Note: I like Kakashi, so I tried to make him the wise old ninja, sorta. Let me know how I'm building the narusaku stuff. Also any tips would be appreciated. I can take constructive criticism. Please review! Also, still looking for a beta. If your interested or have suggestions on where to look, i'd be happy to hear from ya! Later! And Thanks!

narp73


	7. Chapter 7 - Kakashi's Past

Author's note: Here is chapter 7. enjoy. No long speech this time.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Jim Carrey Quote: Just when I thought you couldn't possibly be any dumber, you go and do something like this...and totally redeem yourself!

Granted, it isn't Jim carrey that says it, but he is in the movie, and it is by far the awesomest line in the movie.

Last chapter's quote was old school from batman forever with Jim Carrey as 'The Riddler'

Don't forget to review!

Chapter 7 – Kakashi's Past

Unable to keep it in any longer, Naruto rambled every detail of Aki's prediction to his sensei. He was speaking so fast that the famous copy-nin couldn't understand anything he was saying. "Slow down, Naruto."

The blonde took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself. "Aki told me that I should stay away from Konoha for the battle. She said that even though many people in the village would die, it was more important that I live." Naruto paused, unable to look his sensei in the eye.

"She told me that if I fought in the battle that I would fall; that she saw nothing but darkness in my future." Tears began to fall from the blonde's face. "But I couldn't run away while my friends fought and died for me. I had to come back." the jonin could sense the hesitation in his student's voice, as if he wasn't sure he had made the right decision.

Kakashi put his hands in his pockets and said, "Who all knows this?"

"Sakura-chan, Shikamaru, Hinata, and now you." Naruto answered.

Kakashi remained silent for several moments debating what to say to his student. The copy-nin smirked to himself, "Did I ever tell you, Naruto, that I knew the Fourth?"

"The Fourth Hokage?" the blonde asked wide-eyed in surprise.

"Yes, he was my sensei, just as I am yours. He taught me almost everything I know about being a good shinobi. I was about your age when the Nine-tails attacked the village." Kakashi looked to the sky, remembering the terrible, fateful day when he lost his master.

"He died to protect the village by sealing the demon fox into you, knowing full well that the cost of performing such a seal was his life." Kakashi continued. "He willing chose to sacrifice himself for the sake of his friends and family. Most shinobi are willing to die defending their village, but few have to make a choice such as the Fourth made, where they know that there is no chance of survival. This is the type of choice that is facing you, Naruto."

The blonde thought hard about what his master was telling him. In the end it was his choice to follow Aki's advice or stay to protect his friends and accept whatever consequences may come for either decision. He thought back to one of his first true tests as a ninja.

_Flashback – (manga10) Outside Konoha: Naruto's Promise_

_How could this be? How could Sasuke be so far ahead of him? The teme single-handedly took down both of those chain-wielding chunin. I just stood back and cowered. _

_'I should be becoming stronger. I've completed many missions and even practice jutsu everyday by myself. I'm not going to need saving ever again. I'm not going to be afraid and try to run. I won't lose to Sasuke. I swear it by the pain in my left hand.'_

_End flashback_

Naruto looked at the back of his hand where the scar should be, though thanks to the Kyuubi there was none. "I made a promise, remember? I'm not going to be afraid and run away. No matter the cost, I will protect my home." This time there was no hesitation in his voice.

The masked shinobi placed both hands on his student's shoulders, forcing him to look him in the eye. "Naruto, I am proud of you. You have exceeded my every expectation since you became my student all of those years ago."

"You, Sakura and Sasuke were the first group to ever pass by bell test to become my students. You, Naruto, would have passed the Chuunin exam after only one year as a Genin if not for the invasion by Orochimaru. You, Naruto, trained with the legendary Jiraiya for three years to enhance your ninja skills. You, Naruto, perfected the Rasengan in a way that even the Fourth could not. You, Naruto, completed your Sage training at the young age of 16 and defeated Pain, saving our village from destruction and reviving me in the process." Kakashi paused. "Every second that the villagers are alive is a gift from you for saving them from their fate at Pain's hands."

Kakashi did something he never thought he would do since his father, Konoha's White Fang, died. He hugged Naruto. The blonde shinobi was stunned. He never knew how much he meant to his sensei. He had never taken the time to look back at all of his accomplishments. He was always focused on his next seemingly unreachable goal, his next obstacle. Hearing his list of achievements from his master filled him with pride and confidence.

After a little while, Kakashi let Naruto go and said, "Even though the odds are against you again, I would bet on you every time."

Naruto smiled, looking relieved for the first time since the masked ninja had came to the memorial stone. "Thank you, sensei." Kakashi nodded.

They stood together, staring at the names carved in the stone. Naruto spoke again, with sadness in his voice. "What of the times I failed sensei? What about Sasuke? Or Ero-sennin? What of those I have lost because I wasn't there to protect them?"

Kakashi looked to the sky once again for inspiration on what to say to the troubled young man. Fate had never been kind to Naruto. He was constantly being hated by the villagers for his inner demon, or hunted by Akatsuki for the same reason. He had hardly ever had a chance to see the blessings of life since he was always experiencing pain and loss.

The masked shinobi was never one to share too much about his personal life, but this once, he felt like his student deserved to know the truth. "Would you like to hear how I got my sharingan, Naruto?"

Naruto, always curious about his mysterious sensei, said timidly, "If you don't mind sharing, sensei."

_Flashback (manga 243 – Obito's Gift)_

_The enemy shinobi had just caused the cave to collapse on a young Kakashi, Obito, and Rin. Just before he was crushed by a falling boulder, Obito shoved Kakashi out of the way and took the boulder himself. After the one-eyed shinobi cursed himself for being a failure as a Jonin, Obito Uchiha spoke, "I'm the only one who didn't give you a present at your Jonin celebration, right, Kakashi? What would be good I was thinking, and now I've come up with it." _

_Chuckling softly, Obito continued, "Don't worry, it's not useless baggage. It's this sharingan of mine...please accept it." He looked at Rin, "Rin, with your medical jutsu please take out my sharingan and implant it into Kakashi's left eye."_

_With a serious look, Rin nodded and looked at Kakashi, "Kakashi, come over here so we can start quickly!"_

_Obito coughed up blood and said, "I'm already going to die, but I can become your eye and from now on I will see the future."_

_Rin skillfully completed the transplant. Kakashi opened his new eye, Obito's legacy, and listened to Obito's final words. "Kakashi, take care of Rin."_

_End Flashback_

As Kakashi told his story, he raised his mask that hid his sharingan, giving Naruto a good look at Obito's parting gift from this world. "You are not the only one who has failed to protect his friends, Naruto." Kakashi said sadly. "All we can do is learn from our mistakes, and use what strength we have to save those we love. You cannot save everyone, Naruto." The copy-nin said as he replaced his mask over his sharingan.

Naruto understood, but another part of Kakashi's story peaked his curiosity. "Sensei, whatever became of Rin?"

Kakashi shook his head at where this line of questioning was heading. "Obito's last wish was for me to look after Rin when he was gone. In the end, I failed in that task just as I failed to save him."

_Flashback (OC)_

_Darkness was their ally this night. A sentry passed just a few feet from where they hid on the roof of the complex. It would have been all to easy to kill the guard, but that was not their mission. Letting the sentry pass, two dark forms landed and ran into the building. _

_Several other guards lay between them and their prize, but they had trained for this. Their timing was perfect. A sentry completing his rounds turned left just as Kakashi and Rin passed on his right. A second guard paused and looked down an empty corridor before continuing on. After he began moving again, the duo dashed through the same corridor. Finally, they successfully reached the center of the complex._

_Now came the hard part; entering a locked room with two watchmen posted outside. Stealth was no longer an option. Now that had to have faith that the no one would notice the missing sentries long enough for them to complete their mission and get away. They quickly and soundlessly pounced on the guards, knocking them unconscious. _

_Rin withdrew her toolkit while Kakashi took watch, keeping an eye for any sentries that might wander by out of schedule. It took her a bit longer than she expected, but eventually the lock came free. With no chakra seals guarding the area, they swung the door open and entered the nearly bare room._

_The only thing in the fifteen by fifteen room was tile floors and a pedestal in the middle on top of which stood a scroll; their mission. The contents of the scroll were unknown to the pair, but the Hokage said it was important to ending the war. _

_Kakashi dragged the two watchment into the room and leaned them against the back wall. Rin walked up to the shrine, "Can it really be this easy?"_

"_You call that easy?" her teammate answered._

_She rolled her eyes and glared at Kakashi, "You know what I meant."_

"_Yes, I know." he said while joining her. They both examined the pedestal for any traps that they weren't prepared for in their briefing. Finding none, Rin picked up the scroll and tucked it away with her kunai. Getting out was easier than getting in. The sentries were nowhere to be found. As they approached the exit to the compound, Kakashi held out his arm, holding his teammate back. 'Something isn't right.' He thought. _

"_Are you sure they are coming this way?" one of the guards asked._

"_Of course I'm sure. They have no idea we know they are here, so they have no reason to be careful." another answered._

_Proving him right, the two intruders came out of the shadows heading toward the doors. When the first intuder's hand touched the handle of the door, the watchmen unleashed their might, firing kunai, fireballs, and a torrent of water towards the trapped duo. As the steam faded away, the sentries saw the two intruders unmoving on the ground. Their melting bodies still steaming from the-wait a minute-melting? "They were mud clones!"_

_The real Kakashi smirked, thanks to the guards overconfidence, they gave away the positions of four defenders. He activated his sharingan, charged his Chidori, and dashed towards the first location. The sentry was dead before he hit the ground. Quicker than the lightning he wielded, the masked jonin moved to the second origin of attack. The second victim fell as easily as the first. The third, however, saw him coming. A simple feint, and he was on his way to the fourth watchmen. _

_Kakashi arrived where the fourth man should have been, but found no one. A kunai whizzed past him and triggered a series of exploding tags around him. _

_'Kuso!' The copy-nin thought. 'This is not good!' No novice to battle, the fourth guard had realized what was happening to his teammates and set a trap by surrounding his location on the roof with exploding tags. "Earth Wall Jutsu!" Kakashi used his jutsu to move the roof he was standing on from beneath him to surround him, absorbing some of the blast, the more important feature was that now there was nothing below him. He fell, projected by the concussion of the blast downward to the main level. He landed hard, and quickly rolled to disperse some of his momentum and to avoid the remains of the roof collapsing. _

_The masked jonin stood slowing, taking an inventory of his injuries; his right ear couldn't hear well, his left shoulder was out of place, and second degree burns lined his upper torso. All in all, considering he should be dead, he would call it a win. Kakashi breathed in deep and bashed his shoulder against a pillar, knocking it painfully back in place. His gasp of pain alerted his enemy to his location and it wasn't long before he was confronted._

"_you must be a strong ninja to have survived that," the guard looked at his hitaite, "Leaf ninja."_

_Kakashi tried to look less worn out than he was, but he didn't think he was succeeding. "I'm stronger than most, I suppose, but I've known enough more powerful ninja to keep my ego in check." he answered. Unfortunately, he could tell that his opponent was significantly stronger than he was based on his chakra levels. This was about to get interesting._

"_Just give us back the scroll, and I will let you live." said the enemy nin._

"_Unlikely, I know enough to know that there is no way you would let me live, not after I killed three of your own. I'll take my chances." he answered and reactivated his sharingan._

"_True enough, but we might have let your partner go. Suit yourself." Kakashi observed as his opponent immediately went into a complicated series of seals before unleashing an enormous water dragon from thin air.  
_

_It is difficult to describe how the sharingan works to those who do not have one themselves, but imagine not only seeing an action, but understanding that action at the same time. For example, picture a student who could copy off of another student's math test, and being able to understand the arithmetic involved merely by copying that student. This is similar to how the sharingan copies other shinobi's jutsus._

_Using his sharingan, Kakashi copied the same seals and produced his own, albeit obviously smaller water dragon. Looming face to face, the copy-nin's dragon looked pityful compared to the monster it challenged. _

"_Ha ha! Is this the best that Konoha has to offer?" the enemy nin shouted._

"_Strength alone has rarely won a battle." the masked jonin replied._

_The larger dragon flew full speed toward him and the smaller one answered the call, charging as well. Moments before they would have collided head on, the smaller dragon dashed to the side and pushed the larger dragon sideways. While being unable to stop the bigger of the two, it successfully forced it to change trajectories enough to protect its summoner at the expense of nearly a third of the complex. _

_Not waiting to see what would happen after the collision, Kakashi sprinted towards his opponent, kunai in hand. The enemy was so shocked that his powerful beast failed, he neglected to notice the masked ninja approach him until it was too late._

"_Sometimes it is the smallest of things that makes the difference in battle." Kakashi said before slicing his opponent's throat._

_Kakashi sighed at the death he had caused, but knew it couldn't be helped. He looked around for his teammate, having lost track of her during the excitement. He found her held captive by two full squads of enemy nin with the scroll in their hands._

"_So much for our leader, I supposed that makes me in charge now." one of the defenders said. None of the others disputed his claim. _

"_Let her go." Kakashi ordered with as must authority as he could muster._

"_Oh, I don't think so. You just single-handedly took out our ranged squad. I think I'll keep this ace up my sleeve. Besides, my men could use some entertainment after tonight." he said as he leered at Rin. She to fight against her captor, which only led to her being struck hard in the stomach. She fell to her knees as she fought for air._

_Anger rose in Kakashi as he watched his teammate's treatment. But there was no way he could take out all eight ninja without Rin getting killed. And he would never forget the lesson Obito had taught him; Those who disobey orders are scum. But those who abandon their friends are worse than scum._

_The new leader pointed at one of the others, "Check the scroll to make sure it hasn't been tampered with while I make sure she doesn't have any weapons hidden on her."_

_The man he pointed to did as he was asked. Kakashi noticed Rin trying to get his attention. She was mouthing something. Looking closer, he read her lips. 'Close your eyes!' The copy-nin swiftly did as he was told, trusting his teammate. Barely a second after he closed his eyes, a bright flash of light exploded as the enemy ninja opened the scroll, igniting the light bomb hidden inside._

_Rin used the ensuing confusion to break free from her captor and knee him hard in the groin. Then, using his own kunai, ended his pain. Kakashi joined her in battle and they quickly took a second and a third down before their eyes readjusted. The masked jonin parried another blow as two confronted him simultaneously. He was hard pressed as he dodged and blocked their blows. He kicked one aside after forcing his next attack wide and focused on the other enemy, who was the newly 'elected' leader of the group. _

"_Aw, what's wrong? Afraid to give your girlfriend some one-on-one time with me?" the leader said._

_Kakashi growled in anger as he thrust forward with his kunai which was easily parried._

"_You know, the more of us you take out, the more of her I get when I finally kill you!"_

_Furious beyond belief, Kakashi swung harder and faster, hoping to break his guard. _

"_Kakashi, watch out!" his teammate shouted._

_He spun around to encounter the threat, but was shoved aside. He looked up from the ground to see Rin, his long time teammate punctured by a katana through the chest. _

"_RIN! NOOOOOO!" _

_Frankly, Kakashi didn't remember what happened next. Something inside him took over and the next thing he knew, he was covered in his enemy's blood as he leaned over Rin._

"_Why, Rin? You are the medic! You should know better than to take that attack!" Kakashi scolded_

"_I know, but I couldn't let anything happen to you." She wheezed. _

_He placed a hand over her mouth, "Don't talk, I can get you to Konoha, just hang on."_

_Rin smiled as blood came out her mouth, "We both know you can't, not in time anyway. Listen, I know you still blame yourself for Obito's death, and knowing you, you will for mine as well, but none of this was your fault. I've always had feelings for you, Kakashi, but you never opened up to me. You say I don't deserve someone who abandon's their friends, but you've never abandoned me. Ever."_

_Kakashi couldn't speak. He just didn't know what to say. What do you tell someone who is dying in your arms? "Rin..."_

"_Promise me. Promise me you won't blame yourself for this." she begged._

"_You know I can't do that. I won't lie to you, Rin."_

_She frowned, "Damn your ego Kakashi. You can't control everything."_

"_What I can control doesn't matter if I can't protect you." he stated._

_That brought a smile to her dying face. "Goodbye, Kakashi. I'll tell Obito you said 'Hi'." Then she was still._

"_Rin?" Kakashi knew she was gone, but he wouldn't accept it. "RIN!"_

_End Flashback_

Naruto didn't know what to say. To have a teammate killed right in front of you was one of the worst things he could imagine. He felt horrible for complaining after hearing what the copy-nin had gone through. He didn't know what he would do if he were forced to watch Sakura die before his eyes. He didn't want to think about it, as it was all too possible with the battle that was literally at their doorstep.

Looking again at the memorial stone, he saw them; Obito and Rin's names carved into the stone for sacrificing their lives in the field while serving their village. Suddenly, something clicked for Naruto. "This is why you are always late to everything isn't it, sensei?"

"Yes, I come here often and lose track of time staring at all that remains of my friends and family." The masked shinobi said, full of sadness.

Naruto gazed at Kakashi, his thoughts turned to Sakura, to the woman he wanted to keep safe more than anyone in Konoha. "Did you love her?" he whispered.

He took so long to answer that Naruto didn't think he heard the question. At last, Kakashi responded, "I don't know. The truth is we never got the chance to explore our feelings for one another. But she meant more to me than anyone else I knew."

This made Naruto feel even worse for losing his courage at the last moment to tell Sakura how he really felt. Kakashi echoed his thoughts, "Naruto. Don't make the same mistake I did. Tell her your feelings while you can. I promise you'll regret it for the rest of your life if she dies and you never told her how much she meant to you."

"Huh? How did you know, sensei?" asked a confused Naruto.

Kakashi smiled through his mask, "Your face is an open book, Naruto, for those who know what language to read it in." the copy-nin said cryptically. "Now come on, enough talking for one night, eh? How about some training to get your mind off of things?"

"Sure! I've been meaning to show you what I've learned from Bushy-Brows!"

"Taijutsu, eh? Alright, lets see what you've got." Kakashi led Naruto to the nearest training field and got into position about 30 feet away from his student. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his copy of the late Jiraiya's Icha Icha Paradise. "You don't mind if I catch up on some reading while we train do you, Naruto?"

The blonde smirked and gave a thumbs up, "you're going to need more than one hand against me this time, sensei."

"Alright then, here are the rules. The training is over when you force me to use my left hand. Sage mode is not allowed." Kakashi said while raising the hand holding the book. If you fail to complete this in one hour, I'll see to it the Hokage gives you D rank missions for a week."

"And if I win you treat me to Ichiraku's, as much as I want! And no Sharingan!" Naruto responded while rubbing his greedy hands together.

"Deal. Your training starts...now!" Kakashi didn't budge, knowing it was his student who had the time limit, not him. Aware of the same dilemma, Naruto sprang into action, immediately summoning several clones who ran towards the copy-nin.

The doppelgangers quickly surrounded the jonin and engaged him from all sides. Kakashi grabbed the wayward arm of a clone after ducking his punch and hurled it into a multitude of Naruto's, knocking them down. Before they could rise, a fireball had exploded in their midst and they all turned to smoke.

The remaining clones continued to harass the copy-nin, forcing him to keep on the move. He kicked away the blonde in front of him while two others came from either side. The pincer move failed as Kakashi lept away to avoid being surrounded. He took the time to turn the page before once again being engaged by several shadow clones.

One clone leaped into the air, hoping to heel slam his opponent while a second blonde dove, aiming for his legs. Kakashi didn't wait for his student to come to him. He charged at the diving clone, cartwheeling over and thrusting down with a kunai, dispatching him. Two other clones were on him before he completed his maneuver, forcing him to back away. A third blonde charged from the left yelling as he kicked at the jonin. The copy-nin spun, dodging the kick, and with an elbow to the face destroyed the clone.

The numbers soon became too much for him as a fourth and fifth clone grabbed his right arm and pinned it behind him. He had to admit, his student had improved. His training with Lee had not only increased his speed, but the speed of his doppelgangers as well. More importantly, Naruto's shadow clones did a much better job of acting as a unit. Instead of overpowering the enemy with sheer numbers, he now used his clones to create openings and force his opponents to try desperate gambles. And now here he stood, one arm holding his Icha Icha book, the other pinned behind him.

Even so, Kakashi was not weaponless. He thrust his head backward, headbutting the clone holding his arm and spinning around, kneed the other clone in the gut, thus freeing his arm. Now only about a dozen clones remained.

They stood in a line and each readied a kunai. They unleashed the weapons in sync toward their sensei as he contorted his body to evade the blades. When the kunai got close to Kakashi, they expanded into more Naruto's and tackled the jonin. "Got ya!" Now a sea of clones leaped onto the dog pile to keep the instructor down. Suddenly, a flash of light filled the night as lightning burst from the pile in a wide area, dispatching all of the nearby clones.

Naruto dropped his jaw, "What the heck was that!?"

Kakashi stood up, slightly winded from the large expenditure of energy, "that was my new jutsu; an area of effect lightning attack. It sends a pulse of lightning chakra outward in all directions, stunning everyone around."

Shaking off the numbness in his limbs, Naruto stood up and yelled, "I'm not done yet!" He once again put his hands together and summoned another twenty or so copies of himself.

His clones charged Kakashi from all sides. The copy-nin prepared himself for another round of battle. Suddenly, all the clones transformed into beautiful women covered in nothing but smoke. The one-eyed ninja gasped at the sight and fell over. All of the transformed clones disappeared and all was silent except for Naruto's laughter.

"You know, since I didn't have to use my left hand, you didn't technically beat me." Kakashi stated.

Still chuckling, he answered, "I don't care, your face was totally worth it!"

The copy-nin stood and dusted himself off. It had been years since Naruto had done his 'Sexy Jutsu'. Still, it was embarrassing to fall prey to it. "We'll call it a draw then."

"Fine." As the adrenaline of battle faded away, it was replaced by thoughts of his village's situation. Naruto sighed. "Why can't life be as simple as a fight? My body knows how to react when I'm under attack. My instincts take over and I just do what I need to come out on top. If I'm wounded the Kyuubi heals me. Now there's just too much to think about, too much at stake."

"You may be able to make a thousand clones, but you are still only one man. Keep it simple, Naruto. And if your instincts work in battle, maybe they will work in life too. Trust them to have you do what is right." his sensei answered. "Anyway, we both have an early day and a long night ahead of us. Go get some sleep."

Naruto walked back to his apartment thinking on what Kakashi said. Maybe ironically enough, he was thinking too much. As the long day's journey and the spar took its toll, his last thought was of Sakura. 'I'll protect you no matter what.'

The next morning, the village's top shinobi and elders met in the Hokage Tower to discuss their defense against the coming Akatsuki army. Shikamaru started the meeting by discussing the general layout of his plan. "We will be using three man teams instead of the usual four man cells."

"But that will make each team weaker!" said his father, Shikaku.

Shikamaru looked up at his father and said, "I know it is a risk, but the greater number of teams available will allow us to be able to react faster to the enemy movements and hopefully keep them from penetrating too far into the village."

Returning his attention to the whole council, the genius continued, "Secondly, per protocol, we will be evacuating all non-shinobi to the caves under the Hokage Mountain until the situation is resolved or until the signal is sent that the Leaf is lost where they will then retreat through the secret tunnel underneath the mountain."

"Lastly, it is important to keep Naruto out of the fight for as long as possible." Shikamaru glanced at Naruto, expecting him to yell and scream that he should be on the front line. Surprisingly, the blonde kept silent, barely reacting to the genius' comment.

"He is the focal point of this battle and as such needed to be protected until it became obvious that his skills are desperately required." Shikamaru finished.

"How many enemies are we expecting to attack?" asked the Hokage.

"Based on Naruto's meeting with the leader of the raiders, I'm accounting for more than two hundred." answered the Nara genius.

"And how do you intend to deal with that many enemies?" Kakashi questioned.

Shikamaru smirked, "I have several ideas for traps and other unique strategies for specific ninja to fulfill. To save time, I will discuss those strategies with the involved individuals later."

The discussion continued for more than an hour as they finalized their defense plan for their home.

Meanwhile, outside the village, a figure clad in black and red clouds stood on a boulder overlooking his old home of Konoha. He could almost smell it burning now. Zetsu emerged from the trees and approached his master. "Our army is ready, Lord Madara. What are your orders?"

"Tell them we attack at sunset. As the sun falls before the mountain, so too will Konoha fall to my wrath. The village will not see another sunrise. Tell them to kill as many as they can." Madara smiled beneath his mask. 'Nine-tails, you will be mine.'

Author's Note: The flashback of Kakashi and Rin and the training between Naruto and Kakashi were both added last minute to give the chapter a fight scene and made it more interesting as well. I've always been curious about what happened to Rin. Til Next time!

Please review. They are the bread and butter of us story writers!

Thanks again!

narp73


	8. Chapter 8 - Ino's Mission

Author's Note: Chapter 8 complete!

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT! My story is now being reviewed and improved by the help of Dinesh! So three cheers everyone! Chapter 7 was also reviewed by Dinesh, but I wasn't sure at the time they wanted to be recognized. But now I can shout it from the rooftops, if I wasn't so afraid of heights...j/k.

So super thanks to Dinesh for reviewing my chapters before I post them.

Also, I was dissapopinted to not receive a single review for last chapter. Makes me a sad panda...

Lastly, no Jim Carrey quote as no one has attempted guessing the quotes since chapter 2, and that was only one person. So I give up on those. Enjoy the chapter, the battle begins in earnest now! And please review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 8 – Ino's Mission

Shikamaru waited outside the Hokage's office. He had been summoned shortly after the defense meeting had been dismissed. And he had finally gotten too sleep; what a drag. After a remarkably short wait of fifteen minutes, Shizune sent him came out and spoke, "The Hokage is ready for you now."

Getting to his feet, the young Nara marched in with his hands in his pockets. Tsunade was shuffling some papers on her desk wondering if anyone would notice if she just shredded the documents. "Please sit, Shikamaru." He did as he was told.

The Hokage sat there staring at him a long while before she spoke. "This doesn't make any sense. Akatsuki has always worked in the shadows with a handful of elite shinobi. Why an army? And why now?" questioned the Slug Princess more to herself than her guest. She paused for a moement and then continued.

"You seemed pretty vague about our defenses in that meeting. Anything I should know?" The Hokage asked.

"No, I just didn't want to waste time going over the boring details." he answered.

"Those 'boring details' are the only thing between them and us. Now tell me honestly, do you think we can hold them?"

Shikamaru pretended he was just now considering the question, "Our defense plan is premised on the enemy having a force of more than two hundres, which is already more than double our own force of one hundred and twenty-five shinobi. However, we just don't know how many our enemy numbers. Who is to say they aren't three of four hundred strong?"

Tsunade thought while the ramifications of his words sunk in, "Okay, what kind of strength are we talking about?"

"Breaking it down, we have twenty-five ANBU, thirty jonin, forty chuunin and another thirty genin. That means that about a quarter of our forces are basically novices and ill-prepared for war. So far I have all of them evacuating and guarding the civilians, mostly just to get them out of harm's way as well. They will most likely get in the way of our stronger ninja and be a hindrance rather than helpful." he stated.

"So you're telling me that in less than twelve hours we will be under attack with three-to-one odds against us?"

Shikamaru nodded. "At least. That is why our only hope of victory lies in the element of surprise and grasping whatever advantage that comes our way."

"Such as?"

"The seals along the outer wall will help. It will force most of them to attack from the front gate since they can't use chakra against the seals. After all, they were designed to make sure an invasion like Orochimaru's or Pain's could never happen again. That will form a choke point where their numbers won't matter as much." he explained.

"Most of them? What is it you are worried about, Shikamaru?"

He grimaced, "It is just as you said before. Akatsuki works best in the shadows. They'll find a way around the seals. I'm sure of it. I think the army is a distraction."

"For what?"

Shikamaru shook his head in annoyance, "I don't know. And that is what worries me."

Filled with more questions than she had before, Tsunade dismissed her guest. Once he was gone, she grabbed her sake jug and took a big gulp. It was going to be a long night.

As the sun set in the west behind the Hokage Mountain, a series of explosions was heard near the entrance to the village. The invasion had begun. Several Hyuuga lined the wall of the village, using their Byakugan to learn what they could about their enemy. They discovered the army laying siege to the main gate. The Hyuuga thought back, remembering what Shikamaru had said during their briefing:

_Flashback (OC – Konoha Village: Akatsuki's Strategy)_

"_Akatsuki will focus on speed and ferocity, not subtlety. They will throw their forces at our front gate. With Madara as their leader, he will know about the increased defenses Konoha has set up after Orochimaru and Pain. Therefore, he will be aware of the seals that line our walls that absorb any jutsus or chakra they come in contact with, making any attempt to climb or destroy the walls impossible. Even if we had no walls at all, I still believe he would attack our front gate, signifying that he is unafraid of any defense we throw in front of him. He views himself as invincible." Shikamaru smirked, "We can use this arrogance against them. We will layer our traps so the enemy will never know if they've passed them all. This will keep their front line cautious, slowing them down. Likewise, it should hopefully keep whittling at their numbers, giving our ninja an advantage."_

_End Flashback_

The Hyuuga smiled, 'It looks like he was right after all.'

Meanwhile, at the entrance to the village, the Akatsuki army was using jutsus of all elements in an attempt to break down the front gate. A fireball burst against the entrance which was immediately countered by a water jutsu to put out the flames. Arcs of lightning splintered the wood, only to be repaired by Yamato who stood at the base of the gate using his unique Wood Style to repair whatever damages the Akatsuki caused to the gate. Tenten stood on top of the gate, leading a team of ranged ninja who were throwing kunai after kunai at their opponents. Though she had wounded and killed many, there were more of them than she could count.

She knew it would not be much longer before they broke through the gate. Captian Yamato was already sweating profusely and would run out of chakra before much more time passed. Tenten did the only thing she could for her village and unsealed another scroll, sending another barrage of kunai and other sharp weaponry toward her enemies. One blade struck one of her foes in the throat as he weaved hand signs, killing him instantly. Several others scrambled for cover, even using nearby ninja as shields; so much for teamwork. Suddenly a large dragon made of earth soared out of the ground and into the gate like a battering ram. The force broke through the gate and The First Hokage's clone was knocked away. He landed with a sickening crunch with his neck at an awkward angle. And so, Yamato was the first victim of Konoha to fall.

The enemy cheered at their success, and ran for the open gate. Tenten continued to pelt the enemy with her weapons until they had reached the bottleneck of the gate. She used her radio to relate the situation and her kills to Shikamaru. "Twenty-nine down. The army is breaching the gate. And there are much more of them than we anticipated."

"About how many?" the genius asked.

"About three hundred." she answered.

"Good job, Tenten. You did well. Retreat to point B and wait for my orders." said Shikamaru from inside the village. The weapon master watched as hundreds of Akatsuki dashed into her home. Regardless of her orders, she could not stand by while these bastards invaded Konoha. She summoned her most prized weapon, a double-bladed bow staff, and opened contact with Shikamaru for the last time.

"Sorry, Shikamaru, but I'm not finished yet. I promise I'll bring down as many as I can." Tenten jumped down from her perch intending to finish what she had started.

"Tenten! What are you doing?" Shikamaru shouted.

The weapon master landed in the thick of the multitudes of enemy shinobi still trying to squeeze through the opening they had created in the large gate. Tenten cleared the immediate area by spinning her staff rapidly, cutting down her foes on all sides. The nearby Akatsuki, recognizing the threat in their midst, drew their weapons and charged the kunoichi.

The first opponent to reach her and slashed at her with his katana in a horizontal motion. Tenten moved her staff to block the weapon. Continuing the motion, she swung the bladed end of her staff at a second ninja who was preparing to strike her down from behind, leaving a deep gouge in his chest. Then the wave of Akatsuki was upon her. She kept her staff in constant motion, keeping the enemy at bay and giving her room to maneuver, both offensively and defensively. Every time an opponent lunged at her to strike, she would block the attack and slay another opponent with the opposite end of her weapon.

That was the strength of the double bladed staff. It was a perfect blend of aggression and passiveness. Its reach also provided another advantage, particularly against numerous enemies such as she was facing now. The Akatsuki, becoming frustrated with their lack of success in bringing the kunoichi down, began using ranged attacks such as kunai and even lower class jutsu so as not to risk the wrath of her fearsome weapon. Every time she dodged one of these attacks, she was rewarded with a cry of pain as another unsuspecting foe was struck instead.

Tenten was growing weary. Not only that, but there was too much to focus on. She constantly had enemies on all sides over her. When she succeeded in slaying one, another, greedy for her blood, would eagerly take his fallen teammate's place. The ranged attacks were taking a toll on her as well. Numerous kunai were embedded in her flesh, and she had several burn marks from fireballs and countless other injuries.

Realizing she was as her limit, the weapon master focused her remaining chakra and summoned a large ball of explosive tags. During her moment of concentration, a large muscular shinobi raced forward and plunged his katana clean through the kunoichi to the hilt. Tenten smiled, 'I hope Shikamaru's other defenses do better than I have.' She looked into the eyes of her slayer, and with her last breath yelled, "Kai!"

Shikamaru felt the explosion from his office. The genius pounded his hands against the desk, knowing that Tenten was only one of many deaths to come. "Damn it!" A Chuunin who was present at the gate handed him the report describing the defense of the village's entrance; including the number of kills and losses.

The team had killed fifty-one Akatsuki prior to the destruction of the gate. Tenten had killed an additional sixteen in her last stand and her sacrifice at the end had cost Madara another twenty-nine troops. In total, ninety-six enemies had been killed and Tenten and Yamato had been their only losses. Shikamaru couldn't help but think that the battle had already cost them too much.

As the core of the Akatsuki army ran into the entrance to the village, two figures jumped over the wall, heading away from the village. Ino sat on Kiba's ninja dog, Akamaru, who was heading towards the scent he had picked up shortly before. She had heard that the enemy had breached the gate and was now inside the village. Knowing her orders, she had left the village as they entered, searching for their target. She remembered Shikamaru's orders clearly:

_Flashback (OC – Konoha Village: Ino's Mission)_

_Shikamaru was sitting behind his desk, looking exhausted from planning all night and reading report after report updating the progress of the defenses. Ino entered as requested and waited until the commander finished ordering a Chuunin to perform one task or another. _

_The young ninja left to carry out his orders and Shikamaru looked to Ino. "I have a special task for you, Ino. The enemy will have a commander skilled in sensory techniques. Their job will be to detect our traps and warn their troops so as not to set them off. I need you to capture the commander with your mind technique and order their troops into our traps."_

_Trying to follow his line of reason, Ino thought out loud, " I see, this will significantly lower the number of shinobi our ninjas will have to fight."_

_Shikamaru nodded, "Correct. It will also force their troops to be more cautious since they won't know how to avoid our traps any longer. It will also cause confusion among their ranks, as they won't know if they should trust the orders they are given over the radio." _

_Ino hadn't thought that far ahead. It was a great plan. However, doubt crept into her mind. How was she supposed to sneak behind enemy lines and get to the commander in the first place? Even if she did, how could she succeed in defeating their commander?_

_Shikamaru paused, seeing the doubt on Ino's face. "I know that you are not the best at combat, Ino, but the enemy will be expecting us to play defensive and hide inside our village. They won't be expecting an offensive move like this. Also, you are the best ninja at hiding your chakra. You have the best chance of catching their sensory-nin off guard." The genius said encouragingly._

_Ino nodded, accepting her part in the battle. "Okay. I will do my best." Though she still wasn't sure how she was going to succeed, Shikamaru's words gave her faith that she would find a way. She turned to leave the office and prepare for her mission behind enemy lines. Before she got outside, Kiba shouted at her, "Ino, wait!"_

_Ino stopped and turned around glancing at Kiba and his ninja hound. When he caught up to her, he spoke again, "Ino, please take Akamaru with you." He said determinedly._

_The blonde kunoichi was shocked. "Kiba, you can't be serious! You need Akamaru to fight at your best. I can't take your closest companion with me on such a dangerous mission!" Ino couldn't believe that he was even offering Akamaru to her. She knew how much the ninja dog meant to him._

_Kiba looked her in the eyes, unmoved by her arguments. "The fact that it is such a dangerous mission is exactly why you need Akamaru with you. Being a ninja hound, he has no chakra of his own. So the enemy will not be able to detect him. Also, with his sense of smell, you will be better able to locate and track their commander without risking yourself by using your chakra."_

"_But-"_

"_Lastly, Akamaru is strong." Kiba continued as if she hadn't spoke at all. "If it does come down to a fight, he would be a valuable ally to have." Kiba finished his speech with his usual arrogant smirk, "Besides, I've got more than enough fight in me to take on their army without him around. It'll be a good chance to prove how strong I am on my own."_

_Shikamaru listened to Kiba's reasoning closely, analyzing it for any disadvantages. Aside from Kiba losing part of his fighting edge, there really wasn't one. Compared to the increased likelihood of Ino successfully completing her mission, it was by far an easy decision to make. He was surprised he hadn't thought of it before. "He's right, Ino. Take Akamaru with you."_

_Ino felt a tear falling from her face, "Kiba, are you sure? Akamaru is more important to you than anything, are you sure you want him with me instead of you?" She didn't know what she would do if she had to tell Kiba that Akamaru had fallen in battle._

_Kiba looked serious for a moment; a rare occurrence for the wild brown haired ninja. Then, he looked at Ino with a look that spoke volumes. "If Akamaru is more important to me than anything, then it makes all the more sense that he protects the second most important thing to me." He said without breaking eye contact with her._

_Ino lost it. She started crying uncontrollably and sprinted to Kiba. She jumped into his arms and kissed him full on the mouth. When they broke for air, Kiba stroked her face and said, "Don't worry, Akamaru will protect you."_

"_What about you? Who will protect you?" Ino said, biting her lower lip, nervously._

"_Don't worry about me either. I have Shikamaru and his enormous brain watching after me. I'll be fine." he said, nodding towards the eavesdropping genius._

"_Geez, can you two take it outside? I have a lot of work to do." the commander said._

_Ino chuckled at the "Thank you, Kiba-kun." With that, she left the office with Akamaru at her heels._

_End Flashback_

Akamaru huffed, indicating that the commander was nearby. Ino jumped off of Akamaru and quickly scanned the area. The blonde saw the commander standing on a bluff overlooking the village. She was roughly her age and had dark red hair. She remembered her from the bingo book. She was Karin, a member of Sasuke's team hawk.

She had no guards; apparently she was confident in her ability to sense any enemies approaching her. 'This is perfect.' she thought. 'With her not moving, I should be able to use my mind jutsu and avoid a fight.' She formed the necessary signs and cast her jutsu toward the commander. At the last moment, Karin leaped out of the way, narrowly avoiding the attack.

'Why couldn't things ever be easy?' Ino groaned inwardly. She was lucky the Akatsuki commander analyzed her new opponent instead of immediately counter attacking, thus giving her time to recover from her failed mind jutsu. Surprised, Karin asked, "How did you manage to sneak up on me? I should have been able to sense you."

After having fully recovered her senses, Ino answered, "Unlike most ninja, I can completely shut down my chakra output, instead of suppressing it where trace amounts will still leak to be picked up by sensory ninja like you."

Instead of giving her opponent time to prepare herself, Ino launched herself at Karin, pulling out a kunai as she did. The blonde considered what to do next. Aside from her mind technique, she really wasn't very skilled in ninjutsu or genjutsu. Since it left her body vulnerable for a time if her jutsu missed, she was unwilling to risk using it again so soon in the battle. She would have to use taijutsu.

Ino threw two shuriken on either side of Karin, forcing her to remain in place while she charged at her head on with kunai in hand. Karin, still unprepared for a fight, was unable to completely avoid the strike and took a deep gash on her shoulder, rendering her left arm useless. Ino kept up her attack, unwilling to give the enemy a moment to catch her breath and form a defense.

While blocking a majority of the blows now, Karin was still unable to evade them all and took several more hits on her arms and chest. Feeling confident that she had caused enough damage that the red haired shinobi would be unable to begin a counter-offensive, Ino back flipped away to catch her breath.

Breathing hard, Ino looked at her opponent. Karin had undone her jacket, revealing her bare arm. Unexpectedly, she bit down hard into her own arm. Suddenly, Ino felt a spike of chakra come from the commander. She watched as implausibly all of her wounds began to heal before her eyes. Ino could tell that healing herself had cost her a massive amount of chakra, but considering how tired she herself was, it wasn't a very comforting thought.

The blonde haired ninja gripped her kunai tighter and again sprinted toward her enemy. This time, Karin was ready. The commander easily dodged the first blow and, using her own kunai, stabbed Ino in the back, barely missing her kidney. Ino fell to the ground with a cry of pain.

Something was wrong. A wound like this shouldn't have brought her down so easily. The kunai Karin used must have been poisoned. Using her own medical expertise, Ino examined her own body to determine the effects the poison. She searched the entry point of the wound and found the poison spreading throughout her system. After a while, Ino knew that the poison was a numbing drug, not a deadly poison.

Poisons had a trade off; damage for speed. A deadly poison took too long to take effect to matter during the course of a battle. They usually took days to complete their deadly work. Numbing poisons however, took effect is just a matter of minutes, making it harder and harder to move. They couldn't kill a person on their own, but they sure made it easier for any ninja to finish the job.

Ino looked at Karin who was smirking, seeing that her poison was doing its job. The commander walked toward the blonde, kunai in hand to finish her off. Just before Karin reached Ino, Akamaru jumped from the trees and bit the red haired ninja hard in the leg. Screaming in pain, Karin turned and stabbed the ninja hound in the side.

Taking advantage of her distracted and, thanks to Akamaru, immobilized target, Ino said, "Mind Transfer Jutsu!" and cast her mind toward the commander. Having successfully captured her opponent's body, Ino shouted as quickly as she could into the radio device on her new body, "Everyone, retreat to the south, the enemy is preparing a large counter offensive in the north."

Her mission accomplished, Ino retreated to her own body. She quickly threw her last kunai at her opponent, knowing that she would still be disoriented from the mind transfer jutsu. The weapon struck Karin directly in her heart. After a short cough of blood, she fell over, dead.

Ino crawled to where Akamaru lay, bleeding from the severe wound to his side. She tried to focus through the disorientation of her recent use of her signature jutsu and the numbness of the poison running through her body. Green chakra emitted from her hands, enveloping the ninja hound's wounds and slowing the flow of blood.

Eventually, Ino knitted the skin back together. After checking to make sure that there was no other internal damage, the blonde laid her head on Akamaru, exhausted from her overuse of chakra. Before she passed out, she smiled. At least she had completed her mission.

Meanwhile, back at the village, Shikamaru was getting worried. According the reports he was receiving, the opposing army was stilling heading to the northern side of the village. It had been long enough that Ino should have completed her mission by now.

Konoha shinobi were fighting to hold the army back, but even though the genius knew that this army was nothing more than pawns in Madara's game, they were still powerful shinobi. Several ninja, including Choza and even some elite ANBU agents lay dead all around, unable to defend against the superior numbers of the enemy.

Just when Shikamaru feared they would break through their line, the enemy began a tactical retreat, and started heading to the south. The strategist smiled and spoke into his radio, "Team Bravo, Ino's mission was a success. You're on."

Author's Note: A couple of character deaths. This is a war. People will die. Expect more.

Any suggestions on who or how to kill people, I will gladly listen to, although no promises.

Please review!

narp73


	9. Chapter 9 - Defense of Konoha

Author's Note: Chapter 9 is up! Delays will be longer from here on out as my chapters are less and less planned out. I got feedback that the low number of ninjas on both sides was disappointed. I did theis for two reasons.

As this is my first story, I do not believe myself capable of writing a large scale battle that big. I'm trying to focus on the on-on-one aspect of battles. I seriously doubt I could keep the flow in a battle that big.

Aside from the sudden 100,000 ninja thing when the war with madara started, the number of ninja appear low. When naruto took the chuunin exam only like 80 at most were in the first exam. I can only name like 30-40 konoha ninja, so I tripled the number assuming there were more. I want every death in this story to be significant, not some nameless ninja that no one knows or cares about. If it makes you feel better, you can assume another 20ish ninjas are out on missions or something. It would be rare for every ninja to be in the village, as they are the main economic drive of the village.

Enjoy the chapter! Please review and tell me more of what you like and what you don't.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 9 – Defense of Konoha

The difficulty with traps was twofold; first, traps, especially good ones, required a lot of time to prepare. Thanks to Naruto, the village had more than twenty-four hours to prepare for the Akatsuki invasion. This was more than enough time for any shinobi to prepare a suitable defense, but for Shikamaru, this was enough time to plan several moves ahead, leaving a complex defense that would keep the enemy guessing at every turn.

The second problem with traps was the high likelihood that the enemy would sense and disable a trap, or avoid a trap altogether. Now that he was certain that Ino had succeeded in her mission, the enemy was walking straight into his trap on their "commander's" orders.

Shikamaru grinned as a Chuunin walked into his office to deliver the report on the battle thus far. Aside from the ninety-six kills confirmed at the main gate, the Akatsuki had lost an additional forty-three shinobi making a total of 139 deaths while Kohona had only lost another eleven, including Anko, Choza, and a full squad of ANBU who were taken down by a powerful earth jutsu..

Based on the information provided by the Hyuuga observing from the walls, approximately 300 ninja had invaded the village. After accounting for those already killed, that still left a significant force of at least 161 shinobi to deal with. Shikamaru had faith that Team Bravo would whittle their numbers down even further with their next trap.

Team Bravo consisted of Kiba and several other Inuzuka members as well as Hinata, Neji, and a few more from the Hyuuga clan who weren't needed as lookouts. The group waited in their designated areas for the enemy to arrive. Kiba was relieved when Shikamaru had gave them the signal; it meant Ino and Akamaru succeeded and were most likely alive.

The Akatsuki army continued traveling south as they were ordered by their commander. They were glad to know that someone was watching their backs for traps. They were everywhere. Several times a shinobi had made a wrong step and activated an explosive tag or a kunai barrage, killing a few of their numbers each time. Although not a significant number of losses occurred because of the traps, it forced the army to move in more measured steps, slowing them down, lest they lose even more of their dwindling army.

Deaths were to be expected when attacking a well defended territory such as Konoha. The most difficult part was entering the territory, which they had already done. The rest should be a breeze. Soon, they would reach the heart of the village where they would spread like wildfire and kill anyone they could find. Most of them were grinning in anticipation. They moved into the market area of the village where all of the shops were boarded up; as if that would stop them if they wanted to enter.

When they reached the center of the market, the captain looked around and saw a total of four roads leaving the area. One led in each direction, including the way they had just come. While the captain was deciding how to split up his troops, one of his men cried, "Watch out!"

Just then, a smoke bomb larger than any of them had ever seen fell from the sky and exploded in their midst, enveloping nearly the entire army. The Inuzuka, using their sense of smell, were fearsome to behold in combat. Their aggressive, animalistic style of combat sent them hacking, clawing and mauling any enemy within reach.

Kiba took down another unsuspecting opponent from behind. While he was sniffing out the next target, he focused his rage, channeling it and converting it to chakra. This was the true power of the Inuzuka. Emotions were like fuel granting them energy allowing them to maintain their bezerker-like state. Knowing their current chakra levels were useless if they could transform their anger into additional power. His next victim had quicker reflexes than he expected and managed to land a lucky blow to his shoulder. His pain, just like his emotions were converted to more chakra to unleash.

The Hyuuga, using their Byakugan, took a more systematic approach, beginning on the outskirts of the smoke and working their way in an attempt to limit those who could escape their gentle fist.

The Akatsuki, being unable to see their enemy, were at a huge disadvantage. "Retreat!" the captain said when he realized what was happening. With almost no sense of organization, the Akatsuki ran for their lives, knowing they stood no chance in those conditions. Each member ran to the nearest of the four exits, looking out for only themselves. Thinking that they were escaping the main trap, they were ill prepared for the next trap that lay in waiting.

Guarding one exit was Shino, who released nearly every bug at his disposal toward his still terrified opponents. The bugs swarmed the enemy shinobi and devoured their chakra, leaving them helpless before the other Konoha ninjas. Another exit was blocked by the enlarged body of Chouji. The large shinobi used his superior reach and strength to demolish wave after wave of the Akatsuki army.

A third exit was defended by several Konohamaru's, each holding a Rasengan who dashed at the enemy, knocking several unconscious with a single blow. The final exit was guarded by Sai and several of his ink tigers and snakes. The artist-nin ordered his drawings to attack and they charged into the enemy line, slashing, clawing and biting them until they screamed no more.

A group of four Akatsuki burst from the aftermath of Sai's attack and quickly countered with a barrage of senbon that tore through the artist's creations. The newest member of Team Seven was forced to retreat as the enemy continued advancing through his drawings and Konoha ninja alike. He wasn't expecting them to be as prepared as they were.

Sai took out his drawing pad again and drew more tigers to cover his allies. The animals rushed to the aid of a pair of Leaf shinobi being held off by a lone opponent. The creature's provided the necessary distraction for the duo to gain the upper hand on the Akatsuki member. Before they could land the fatal blow, his tigers turned on their allies, viciously tearing through the unsuspecting pair.

Confused, Sai put away his pad, and drew his short blade. He charged the nearest creation cutting it in half as he passed. As he evaded a swipe from his other pet, he saw the ink from the one he just destroyed begin to reform. 'First he steals me art, then he reanimates them. What is going on?' he thought.

The second tiger withdrew, and moved toward the glob of ink. Sai saw the ink absorbed by his former pet, forming a creature of enormous proportions. Now he was sure of it; he had to be caught in a genjutsu. The artist-nin felt pressure on his sternum and his surroundings shattered like glass, revealing the same alley, although without the massive tiger. His allies however, remained slain on the ground.

Sai looked down and saw the end of a blade sticking out of his chest. Blood poured freely down his chest and a puddle was already forming by his feet. The figure holding the blade spoke, "Took you long enough to figure it out. Any last words?"

He turned his head, a smile evident on his face. I have a friend that I call 'dickless', but I think the name fits you better." He may not know how to understand emotions, but he was trained on how to manipulate them.

The Akatsuki's face grew red with anger, "what did you just sa-" His sentence was interrupted as Sai's head collided with his nose. His opponent flew back from the hit, his nose obviously broken. The artist-nin coughed up blood as the blade was yanked from his chest. Regaining his composure, He again took out his drawing pad and drew four snakes which wrapped themselves around every limb of his foe. He turned around and walked towards the Akatsuki a smile still on his face.

"I still gutted you, how are you still alive?" he said, fear evident in his voice.

"Yes, my lung is punctured. I'll be dead in a matter of minutes." Sai said as he slowly walked towards his captive.

"Then why on earth are you smiling?"

"Because, Instead of dying as someone's tool, I chose to fight this fight. I chose to defend my home. I think this must be what it feels like to be happy." Still smiling, he slit the Akatsuki's throat. He would cause no more pain this night.

Sai fell to the ground next to his foe, finally succumbing to his injuries. As it began to get harder and harder to breathe, his last thoughts were of his times with his new teammates. Naruto was a strange one. While he was always taught to suppress his emotions, his blonde teammate seemed to thrive on his. Naruto's passions gave him strength. Sakura seemed normal until something (usually Naruto) set her off; then she was just scary.

In battle, the pair were nearly flawless. They knew each other's strengths and weaknesses to the last detail. Beyond that, they could predict each other's strategies and react accordingly. Outside of a fight, the duo were...complicated. Naruto was consistent in his actions towards Sakura, he had even admitted to liking her. She, on the other hand, seemed to have a different opinion of Naruto every time they interacted. More often than not, she acted like she despised him by constantly screaming at him and bashing him around. Other times, however, she seemed to return his affections.

_Flashback (Naruto Shippuuden TV Episode: 81 - Naruto's Training)_

_Sai approached Sakura as she observed Naruto train to combine the Rasengan with his elemental chakra nature. From the looks of things, he wasn't making much progress. Nonetheless, from his books, he had learned that it was polite to ask anyway. "How is Naruto doing?"_

"_Sai? It looks like combining Rasengan with nature manipulation is much harder than he expected. Naruto never has been a quick study." She answered._

"_That's why Kakashi-sensei's having him learn by doing." In the short time he had known the blonde, the only thing he had seen him read was a ramen menu._

_She looked sad as she responded. "Yes, it is training only Naruto can do. One clone doubles the results, a hundred clones gives one hundred times the results. But, combining a technique with nature manipulation is a wall that cannot be scaled through willpower and hard work alone. Remember the Rasengan was originally developed by the Fourth Hokage himself." She paused, breathing deeply before continuing. She sounded almost ashamed as she said, "Adding nature manipulation to such a high-level technique...Naruto might not be capable." _

_Sai didn't know what to say. How could he cheer her up? Surely she didn't believe that Naruto would fail. 'Ah! That's it! I knew this would be useful.' A smirk came to his face before he returned to his usual emotionless state. "That's true, Naruto is quite stupid." He almost gave up his plan as Sakura turned to him in shock at what he was saying. "A clumsy, borish guy like Naruto trying to master the subtle complex art of combining shape and nature manipulation? Of course he's not capable. And yet, Kakashi-sensei and Captain Yamato have stuck with him the whole time." In his attempt to maintain his calm persona, he missed the not-so subtle signs of fury building within his teammate. "Even while the village has deployed squadrons to combat Akatsuki, They're here wasting time on this pointless exercise. I can't fathom what the Hokage expects from an oaf like Naruto-" He was interrupted as Sakura punched a hole in a nearby tree._

"_Say one more word and your face ends up like that tree." Her voice sounded calm, but that only made her seem more dangerous. "What doyou know about Naruto? Sure he's a clumsy, stupid, lunk-headed idiot! But no one defies the odds like him! He's saved us countless times! Everytime someone expects him to fail, he proves them wrong! That's who Naruto Uzumaki is!_

_End Flashback_

She hadn't exactly been happy to find out he had tricked her into admitting how much she believed in Naruto, but she hadn't belted him across the field either. His eyes drooped as the loss of blood took it's toll. Sai left the world with a final thought; 'Good luck, Naruto.'

When the report came to Shikamaru that the traps had succeeded, he breathed a sigh of relief. The report indicated that all of the remainder of the army had been either killed or captured and only seventeen additional Konoha shinobi had been lost, including Sai. In total, they had defeated 309 enemies and only lost twenty-eight, about a quarter of their forces; fantastic odds for any battle. He had also received word that Akamaru had safely returned, carrying an unconscious Ino, to the village.

Several of the ninja who participated in the enemy route were still celebrating in the market. "This isn't over. This was only the beginning. Keep your focus, and be ready for round two." Shikamaru knew that Madara had something much worse planned up his sleeve. He only hoped he was up to the task of figuring it out and responding appropriately.

Meanwhile, outside Konoha, Madara had received word of his army's failure. He was surprised that Konoha had such well placed defenses. It was almost as if they had known he was coming, but surely there was no way that was possible. Oh well, the army or lack thereof, made little difference. They were never meant to be the main act anyway.

The man standing before the sharingan user seemed nervous. "So, Saito, What brings you to me the fine evening?" Madara asked nonchalantly.

"I have news for you Lord Madara. Information of how Konoha knew of your invasion." said the nervous man.

Suddenly interested, Madara said, "Oh? And how is that?"

"The demon child brought word of your invasion when he returned from a mission. He claimed that someone who could see the future told him you were coming with an army." said Saito, obediently.

"Ah, Aki. That woman never could leave well enough alone." It had been a long time since Madara had seen the fortune teller. He would have to pay her a visit again soon. "Is that all, Saito? Surely an elder of the village such as you has more to offer than this." Madara said as he stared at the Konoha elder from the single hole in his mask.

Growing even more nervous under the Akatsuki leader's glare, Saito muttered, "I can get you and a few others into the village discreetly. There is a hidden entrance that only a few know about. It leads directly to the Hokage Tower."

"That's better, Saito. I knew you'd come through for me." Madara smiled inside his mask, thinking of how he could use this new found knowledge to his advantage.

Back in the village, Naruto was waiting for Sakura to finish performing surgery on a ninja who had been struck is a vital organ during the battle. It made him feel miserable that this battle was being fought over him and he wasn't even allowed to help. He felt useless. He was proud of his friends for their success against the Akatsuki army, but he still felt like he should be the one out there fighting and getting hurt instead of them.

He had talked with Shikamaru after the defense meeting about wanting to participate. The genius had told him that he would more than likely be needed to fight Madara. The truth was that no one else in the village was powerful enough to stop him. That was why Shikamaru wanted Naruto to stay out of this first fight. He wanted the jinchuriki to conserve his energy for the ancient Uchiha. For now, his only task was to think of a strategy to beat the man who could use the sharingan, warp to different dimensions at will, and who knew what other abilities.

After another hour, Sakura stumbled out of the hospital, looking exhausted. She brightened a bit when she saw Naruto waiting for her. He had grown a habit of waiting for her at the end of her shifts at the hospital when he had nothing else to do. After first she was annoyed, wanting nothing more than just to go home and go to sleep after her long shifts. Lately however, she found herself looking forward to seeing him after work and disappointed the few times he wasn't there. Naruto turned and saw her. He smiled, and waved her over to him shouting, "Sakura-chan! Did you hear the news? Shikamaru's plan worked perfectly!"

She had heard. Considering the sheer number of opponents they had faced, it was nothing short of amazing that only twenty-eight had died. Several more were in the hospital for severe injuries, but only a few of those would succumb to their injuries. Naruto was right; Shikamaru's plan couldn't have gone smoother. That was what worried her. Nothing ever went that smoothly when Madara was involved. Something big was coming, she knew it.

Naruto stood up and caught up to Sakura as she left the hospital to head home to rest. As they walked side by side, they saw some of the damage caused by the night's battle. Buildings were damaged beyond repair and blood stains littered the streets. Even if most of it was from the enemy, it still wasn't pleasant to look at. Sakura watched Naruto as he examined the damage to the village. She knew him well enough to know that he blamed himself for the battle and all the deaths involved. "Naruto, you know that none of this is your fault, don't you?" she asked.

Naruto looked at her, "Of course I know that. I just wish I didn't feel like it was. After all, I'm the reason that Akatsuki is here. I'm the reason this battle took place in the first place. But honestly, that isn't even what's troubling me." He fell silent for a while, lost in his thoughts. "With Akatsuki being here, do you think Sasuke will be here?" he asked her sincerely.

So that is what has been troubling him. As usual at the mention of their missing teammate, they both fell silent. Sakura wished for the thousandth time that she never would have made Naruto make that promise to her to bring back the young Uchiha. It had done nothing but cause both of them pain.

_Flashback (manga 183 – Outside Konoha's Gate: Sakura's Request)_

_Sakura approached the five ninja about to depart to chase down Sasuke and return him to the village. The pink haired kunoichi walked up to Naruto, her eyes filled with tears. "Naruto, I beg you! Please...Please bring Sasuke back." Sakura exploded in another fit of tears. "I couldn't do it. I couldn't stop him! The only person who can probably save Sasuke-kun now is you, Naruto. Only you."_

_Naruto fell deep in thought, "Sakura-chan, you really like Sasuke, huh?" Naruto continued with pain evident in his voice. "I know how much pain you're in because of Sasuke. I can understand." Naruto stared at the girl he loved. He hated seeing her cry. If bringing Sasuke back was the only way to make her happy then that is what he would do._

"_Naruto, thank you." said Sakura. She couldn't see how Naruto would understand, but she was grateful anyway._

"_Don't worry! I'll bring him back! Promise of a lifetime!" the blonde shinobi said with a smile to hide his pain and a thumbs up._

_Sakura instantly felt a little better. After all, Naruto always kept his promises._

_End Flashback_

She was no longer the weak little girl who would beg another to fulfill her responsibility. It was just as much her job to bring back Sasuke as it was Naruto's. After a while, Sakura's voice yanked the blonde ninja from his thoughts, "If he is, then we will confront him together, like we should have done a long time ago." she said, seriously.

"Of course, Sakura-chan." Naruto said, smiling brightly. They had arrived at her house. Naruto paused, aware that the trip was near its end. Noticing that her friend stopped, Sakura slowed as well. The blonde had turned serious again. He looked the same as he had last night at Ichiraku's when he had wanted to say something, and then claimed that it wasn't important.

"Sakura, there is something I have to tell you." Naruto was looking down, away from Sakura in embarrassment and fear. If not for the seriousness of the situation, Sakura would have laughed. Naruto, who had fought truly fearsome opponents such as Orochimaru and Pain, was afraid of her.

Too exhausted from her long shift at the hospital to wait patiently for Naruto to gather up the nerve to tell her whatever it was he was planning to tell her, Sakura said, "Naruto, if you keep me from getting to my bed for one more minute, I'm going to beat you senseless."

Finally, Naruto looked into her emerald eyes. "Sakura, I love you." Sakura was speechless. She hadn't been expecting that.

Naruto felt tears coming down his face, but he pressed on. If he didn't say this now, he knew he never would. "I've loved you since the Academy. I never told you because I didn't think I deserved you since I couldn't even keep a promise to you." The blonde was shaking, although with anger or sadness she couldn't tell. "Kakashi and Jiraiya may have trained me, but you are what made me the ninja I am today. You are the reason I never give up." Sakura hadn't moved since he told her. Although that wasn't necessarily a good thing, at least she hadn't punched him across the village.

Sakura couldn't believe what she was hearing. Sai was right. Naruto was suffering because of her.

_Flashback (manga 458 – Konoha Village: Sai Confronts Sakura)_

_Sai had just told Sakura that Naruto had left to beg the Raikage to cancel the execution order on Sasuke. The medic-nin was shocked at the lengths that her best friend would go to save their lost teammate. Sai looked at Sakura closely, debating over how much he should tell her. "I was only recently assigned to replace Sasuke in Team Kakashi, so I don't really understand the team well yet. I don't understand people's emotions well, either. I also don't understand what the promise you made with Naruto was, but even I can tell that he truly loves you!"_

_Sakura went wide-eyed from the revelation. She remembered that Naruto had said that he understood her suffering when Sasuke left. Now she knew what he meant. He'd been bearing that pain all along. She couldn't imagine what Naruto experienced when she asked the man who loved her to bring her back the man she loved._

"_It seems like Naruto's always shouldering the burden of his promise with you. Seemed like he plans to carry it for the rest of his life. I don't know what you said to Naruto, but I felt that it was like he was bound by the same kind of curse I am." continued Sai, referring to the seal on his tongue. "Sasuke's making Naruto suffer, but aren't you, too?"_

_End Flashback_

Before that day, Sakura had never known how much of a burden she had placed on Naruto when she made him promise to bring back Sasuke. From then on, she was determined to deal with Sasuke herself so that he wouldn't have to. In the end, she hadn't been able to strike him down when the opportunity arose. As a result, Naruto had barely rescued her from death at Sasuke's hands and had once again confronted him in combat. Naruto had done so much for her behind her back, never complaining and never asking to be thanked or recognized. She wondered what she had done to deserve Naruto's affections.

When they were younger, she had thought Naruto was nothing more than a nuisance to her love interest in Sasuke, and she wasn't afraid to let him know it, either. Back then he was a hyperactive, annoying child. Now, however, he was the hero of the village. Though he still had his child-like moments, he had grown up, more than just vertically. His sense of responsibility had expanded to encompass the whole village. His confession frightened her. The way he had said it had a sense of finality to it. It was like he thought he might never see her again.

"Naruto, why are you telling me this now?" Sakura questioned.

He sighed heavily, "Because I'm scared, Sakura-chan. For the first time in my life, I don't know if I'll live long enough to fulfill my dream." Naruto looked up at the night sky as he spoke. "Maybe it's because of the prophecy, or maybe it's because for the first time, things have started looking up for me." He chuckled and thought of how even with Akatsuki out hunting him, the village has been relatively safe, until now, since Pain. The whole village has recognized him like he has always dreamed. Even with Sakura, things had been looking up lately. Ever since her "confession" they had been growing closer to one another. They still weren't dating or anything, but it no longer seemed as impossible as it once did. Maybe this was being pessimistic, but it is hard to believe that something so good could last, for him, at least.

Sakura had never seen Naruto so unsure of himself. Well, if he wouldn't believe in himself, then she would just have to believe for him. Sakura grabbed both of Naruto's shoulders, shaking him as she spoke, "You listen to me, Naruto. You are not going to die, do you hear me? Because I won't let you. I don't care what that old hag said. If you get in trouble, I'll save you. I believe in you, Naruto."

When that didn't seem to cheer him up, Sakura pulled him closer and embraced him, placing her head on his chest. She could hear his heart beat quicken from emotion as he wrapped his arms around her and it made her smile. They were interrupted by an explosion on the opposite side of the village. Letting go of Naruto, she asked, "What was that?"

"Nothing good." With that, Naruto sprinted ahead with Sakura close behind toward where the explosion came from, suspecting that Madara was involved.

Meanwhile, in the Hokage Tower, Tsunade had just finished a rather large batch of paperwork regarding the defense of the village and had decided to reward herself with a large cup of sake. With Shizune in charge of the hospital, there was no one to nag at her over the bad habit. After pouring a generous cup, she downed it in once gulp. When she picked up the bottle to refill her cup, she heard a voice from the back of her office.

"Still can't let go of the bottle, Tsunade? Tsk, Tsk, you know that isn't good for your health, Hokage." said a voice she thought she recognized. A figure emerged from the shadows of her office and she dropped the rest of her sake bottle, which shattered on the floor.

"Madara..."

"So you do know me? Good, then we can skip the introductions and get straight to the point. Where is Naruto?" the ancient sharingan user asked.

Author's Note: What is gonna happen next? Thanks again to Dinesh for previewing the chapter for me. Always gives me good ideas. Blew my mind on things to add for the next chapter.

p.s. I was picturing how sith use their feelings and pain to fuel their power when I wrote about kiba.

Please review!


	10. Chapter 10 - Darkness Falls

Author's Note: Not much to report here. Enjoy Chapter 10.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 10 – Darkness Falls

Kisame was bored as he searched for Naruto. Though Madara had assigned the task to the Uchiha boy, he wanted to see for himself how strong the Nine-tails jinchuriki was. The small team had easily slaughtered the ANBU squad guarding the 'secret entrance' and had separated once inside the village to perform their assigned tasks. He was supposed to capture a young kunoichi with pink hair, but he decided to search for larger game first.

He had been here once before with his deceased partner, Itachi, but he still did not know the layout of the village very well. Before long, he had wandered into the Konoha market where the defenders had defeated a majority of the Akatsuki army.

The village had not had time to clean up after the mayhem of the battle. Dead bodies lay everywhere and blood covered the streets and the walls of the nearby buildings. Kisame loved it. He breathed in deep; he could still smell the carnage, almost see the chaos that must have ensued. He could even hear the buildings fall from the-wait a minute. That wasn't just in his mind. That was real. Kisame turned around and saw the Hokage Tower, the tallest building in the village, crumble to the ground with a resounding crash. He smirked, 'Madara seems to be having a fun time with his target, I see.' he thought.

Just then, the water-nin heard footsteps approaching from behind him. When he turned around, he saw a shinobi, clad in a green jumpsuit. He was staring at the falling tower in astonishment. When he snapped out of his shock, he said, "Who are you? And what have you done to the Hokage Tower?"

Kisame rolled his eyes, "Can you really still not remember me?" Withdrawing his sword, he added, "I'll make you remember my name, even if I have to carve it into you."

Mighty Gai recognized a threat when he heard one. A thrill ran through him as it always did before a battle. "A worthy challenge, I accept." He bowed before entering his combat stance.

_A few moments earlier..._

Tsunade stared daggers at the enemy shinobi in her office. "Even if I knew exactly where he was, I wouldn't tell you. He is on a mission, and isn't due back for some time." She lied smoothly.

Madara shook his finger at the Hokage, "Now, now, Tsunade; lies do not become you. I have it on good authority that it was Naruto himself that warned you that I was coming with my army."

How could he have known that? Only those present when Naruto gave his report knew about that. However he came by the information, there was no sense denying it any longer. "Who told you?"

"A lovely, plump, little man named Saito. I say, that man certainly squirms when he is nervous, doesn't he?" the Uchiha quipped, obviously enjoying himself.

This was exactly why Tsunade couldn't stand having an advisory council. With so many people in the loop it was impossible to keep things a secret for long. She would never understand why the Third allowed such a thing. She had attempted to abolish the council a number of times, but once ta group got a taste of political power, it was difficult to give it up. Saito in particular was a power-hungry little whelp. But to betray the village like this? What could he hope to gain? His life in exchange?

Tsunade was fuming. It wasn't difficult to guess the rest of what happened. "Saito, he showed you the secret entrance into the village, didn't he? Where is he?"

Madara clapped slowly, "Bravo, Tsunade. You always were a bright one. I must admit, that was a powerful genjutsu hiding the entrance. Even I had trouble finding it. And Saito is dead, he was of no further use. Trust me, I did you a favor in ridding the world of the likes of him. So, are you going to tell me where he is? Or shall I let Sasuke find him?"

Tsunade's mind went back to when she first met Naruto. The boy who had learned the Rasengan technique in less than a week. Jiriaya's student. Future Hokage. Tsunade smiled. He had brought her back from the brink of depression all those years ago. First, she had lost Nawaki, her younger brother. Then, she lost Dan, her lover. After that, she lost her sensei, the Third Hokage to Orochimaru. Finally, she had lost Jiraiya to Pain. Shizune, Sakura and Naruto were all she had left that she felt she could call family. Tsunade had faith in Naruto; a faith she hadn't allowed herself to feel since Dan. That little brat got underneath her skin the instant he risked his life for her against a foe he didn't stand a chance against.

_Flashback (manga 167 – Naruto Saves Tsunade)_

_Kabuto had temporarily defeated Tsunade, but before he could land the final blow, Naruto stepped in and stopped the strike. The blonde attempted a counter strike, but Kabuto was too fast. He dodged the strike and used his chakra scalpel on Narurto's leg, causing him to stumble to the ground. The slug princess looked on as Naruto struggled to return to his feet. Tsunade screamed at Naruto, "For my sake, Naruto, stop it! If you die, you'll never accomplish your dreams or anything else!"_

_Kabuto began his final charge to cut the young shinobi down. Naruto created a shadow clone, not budging from Tsunade's side. The legendary Sannin watched helplessly as Kabuto swiftly approached Naruto and screamed, "That's enough Naruto! Get out of the way! Run!"_

_Kabuto, kunai in hand, lunged at Naruto. The blonde raised his hand, taking the blow through the palm and gripped Orochimaru's apprentice's fist tightly with his own. "Until I become Hokage, I refuse to die!" Naruto shouted._

_Naruto's other palm started glowing with chakra as his clone focused on controlling the power until it was ready. "You won't be able to escape from this one." When the blue orb was complete, Naruto shoved into Kabuto's gut with all of his might._

_Tsunade couldn't believe that this kid had perfected the Rasengan at such a young age in a short amount of time. This was someone worth believing in._

_End Flashback_

Tsunade, never a very patient person, couldn't contain herself any longer. She hurled first her desk, then herself at the Akatsuki leader, swinging with all of her impressive might. Madara became intangible and the desk, followed by the Hokage went straight through him, knocking a large hole in the wall behind him. Not done yet, Tsunade turned around and swung again and again at her opponent. The Uchiha easily dodged or passed through each blow since he could read her movements perfectly with his sharingan. Madara laughed, "Is this all the mighty Hokage has to offer?"

No matter how hard Tsunade fought, she couldn't land a single blow on her enemy. She was growing weary from maintaining chakra in her arms; she wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer. The worst part was that she knew that the Uchiha was just toying with her. Her only advantage was her strength which wasn't an advantage at all is she couldn't land a strike.

Then, an idea came to the Hokage. If she couldn't hit Madara with her fists, maybe she could hit something else. Tsunade rushed at the sharingan user once last time. Unconcerned, the Uchiha again let the blow pass right through him. The slug princess smirked. She continued sprinting straight through Madara and slammed her fist as hard as she could into the foundation pillar of the Hokage Tower. Without the pillar for support, the tower instantly began to lose stability, and any moment, it would collapse in on itself. Tsunade smiled at the Akatsuki leader. "I bet your eye didn't see that coming, eh Madara?" She charged him for the last time with all the strength she had left, not wanting to give him time to escape the collapsing building. If she was going to die, she was going to take him with her. After all, she was the Hokage; it was her duty.

_Elsewhere in the village..._

He couldn't sleep. When the battle had ended, he couldn't wait to brag to his teammates about his twelve kills. Then he found out about Tenten and the fact that the battle was won barely mattered. Rock Lee wandered the streets of Konoha seeking purpose and remembering his precious memories of his deceased friend and teammate. He saw the Hokage Tower fall, but couldn't bring himself to care, not after Tenten.

He continued walking despite the activity around him. After a while, he found himself alone, or nearly alone rather. Two ninja were fighting in the distance, and it was too intense of a match to be just a spar. Finally picking up his pace, Lee hurried towards the pair and skidded to a stop as the fight came to an end.

The victor was standing over his victim, "Now you will remember my name."

Lee recognized his sensei's corpse at the feet of the Akatsuki ninja. For the first time since he received the news about Tenten, emotions exploded inside of him. Gai was the closest thing he had to a father since his dad died during the Nine-Tailed demons rampage.

Not even bothering to keep the fury out of his voice, he asked, "Who are you?"

"Who, me? I'm just a traveler passing through." said Kisame sarcastically as he drew he large sword.

Lee had seen this man before. He had blocked his team's path when they were rushing to help save Gaara. "You! Whoever you are, I won't forgive you." Lee said as he moved into an attack position.

Kisame laughed, based on the kid's clothing, he was obviously a student of his latest victim. "Well, you certainly have your master' memory, I'll give you that." He kicked the body for emphasis. What were the odds of two people with abysmal memories becoming sensei and student? "I have no business with you, boy. If you get out of my way now, I'll let you live a while longer."

Ignoring the offer, Lee dashed to his opponent, leaving nothing but a trail of dust in his wake. He circled the enemy, adding to the unpredictability of his next attack. Kisame merely stood in place, unmoving, with a bored expression on his face. At last, Lee attacked, beginning with a thrust to the swordsman's stomach, doubling him over. The youth lifted his knee striking the water-nin in the face. The green clad ninja spun around and swept Kisame's legs out from underneath him and kicked him into the air. Lee leaped after his foe and kicked again and again, knocking him higher and higher above the ground. When they had reached a sufficient altitude, Lee unwrapped the straps around his arm and tied them around opponent. They spun rapidly together towards the ground. The youth shouted, "Primary Lotus!" and slammed the swordsmen into the ground head first.

Breathing hard, Lee back flipped away as he watched the dust settle. There Kisame stood, brushing some pebbles of his body. He looked completely uninjured. Kisame chuckled, darkly, "Well done, kid. It has been a long time since I've been knocked around like that. You fight just as well as your master. You use no chakra in your attacks, just pure taijutsu and yet you still have all of that speed and power. It's very impressive. My poor Samehada won't be able to feast on your chakra. Oh well, I guess he will have to suffice with feasting on your flesh!" Then, Kisame sprinted toward Lee, who was still recovering from using his Primary Lotus. The taijutsu master moved as quickly as he could to dodge the incoming blow, but he wasn't fast enough. Samehada nicked his side and using its many barbed scales, ripped deeply into his skin.

Lee dove and flipped to gain some distance between himself and his opponent. Unwilling to let the injured ninja get away so easily, Kisame expertly weaved several hand signs and shouted, "Shark Torpedo Jutsu!" The water-nin thrust his hands toward his enemy over and over again. Each time he did so, a torrent of water in the shape of a shark rocketed toward Lee. Holding his side in pain, the green clad shinobi ducked, dived, and otherwise evaded every attack using his instincts honed over years of being a taijutsu ninja. When the barrage finally ended, Lee asked, "If I'm not who you are after, then who is your target?"

Kisame stood at his full height and grinned evilly, "I seek the Nine-tailed demon fox and its jinchuriki host, Uzumaki Naruto."

"Naruto, eh?" Lee stood up and smiled inwardly.

_Flashback (manga 85 – Konoha Training Grounds: Lee's New Technique)_

_After a long day of training, Gai came up to Lee and said, "Lee, I will now teach you a new technique. It will be your trump card." Lee became excited, always thrilled to learn something new from his master. "But, because of that, this technique will come with a strict condition." Gai turned serious, which grabbed Lee's attention. "That is, to protect a precious person."_

_End flashback_

'Guy-sensei, your conditions for that move have been met; to protect a precious person.' he thought.

Lee bent over and removed the weights strapped to his arms and legs. Lifting them all but one in his right hand, he threw them at Kisame. The elite Akatsuki easily dodged and watched as the weights continued into a large boulder, creating a massive crack in the stone. The swordsmen turned his head in amazement back at Lee in time to see the last weight slam directly into his face. By the time Kisame regained his composure, Lee had opened the first six inner gates.

The taijutsu master had veins popping out all over his body and was pouring energy from every pore in his body. Lee vanished only to reappear behind Kisame and deliver a vicious roundhouse kick to his jaw. While, his opponent was still reeling from the attack, the Konoha shinobi used the opportunity to disarm the enemy of his precious weapon. Lee continued to throw blow after blow at the swordsmen; a powerful haymaker to the gut, a bone-shattering hook to his rib, and to conclude his combo, a devastating uppercut directly to his jaw. Kisame went soaring into the side of the building, nearly going through the wall. Lee ran after him, not planning to stop until his enemy was down for good. The water-nin stood up slowly, blood dripping from his mouth.

The green clad ninja leaped into the air and shouted, "Konoha Whirlwind!" Lee spun in mid air his leg aimed for another mighty strike at Kisame's head. At the last moment, the swordsmen lifted his arms to block the blow. When the hit landed, water erupted from the Akatsuki's hands and enveloped Lee.

"Water Prison Jutsu!" said Kisame. Entirely surrounded by water, Lee couldn't breathe. "You've been rather feisty, young one. If it is any consolation, I think you surpassed the other nut." After he was sure that Lee was trapped fully in his jutsu, Kisame examined his injuries. He had at least two broken ribs, a rather weak jaw, a limp caused by a hefty kick to his left thigh, and several other internal injuries he couldn't place. All in all, the kid had done a good job roughing him up. With his speed and strength, Kisame was lucky he managed to catch Lee's leg when he did. A few more blows of that caliber, and he may have been defeated.

Lee could feel his chest burning from a lack of air. He had been holding his breath for nearly a minute. Still holding the taijutsu master in his trap, Kisame walked over to where Samehada lay and picked up his legendary blade. Giving the sword a few good swings to get reacquainted, the sword master once again turned his attention to the oxygen-deprived Lee. He had decided to finish the young ninja swiftly. He had fought honorably, and deserved a quick death, not a slow agonizing drowning.

Lee had never felt worse. His lungs felt like they were going to explode, which was ironic, because there was nothing in them. His body felt sore all over; one of the after effects of opening so many gates at once. He had no choice, he would have to open the seventh gate. Nearly double the power temporarily at the expense of his life expectancy. His blood boiled; literally. The water around him began to bubble.

As the water grew in temperature, Kisame focused more chakra into the prison to maintain his hold on his tenant. But chakra wasn't the problem, the prison only had so much water, and it was evaporating at an alarming pace. The control required over the body to force your body temperature to increase to the boiling point was something he had never heard of. He broke off the water prison; no sense wasting chakra. Things were about to get interesting.

Lee stood with steam rising from him. His eyes were enflamed with a righteous rage. His skin had third-degree burns along his exposed skin due to the boiling water. The taijutsu master threw himself at his foe with abandon. He easily ducked a horizontal slash from Samehada and countered with a roundhouse kick to the chin. The water-nin managed to lean back, avoiding the blow, but wasn't fast enough to dodge the follow-up thrust to the chest. The Konoha-nin was just too fast.

Kisame formed seals and a wave of water exploded outward. Debri was blown backward as the wave spread, but Lee remained with merely more steam surrounding him. The Akatsuki sent another round of shark bullets towards the young ninja, but they were hacked out of existence by a few well placed punches.

Lee once again closed the distance between them, leading the charge with a flying dropkick. Kisame blocked with his sword, but the force behind the kick dropped him to his knee. The water-nin tried using the water on the ground to trip his opponent, but with the heat radiating off of him, it was impossible.

He lunged with his blade once more, forcing his opponent back, but the gap was instantly closed a split-second later. An uppercut sent Kisame reeling and Lee used the opportunity to launch his enemy into the air with a strong kick to the jaw. Not done yet, Lee leaped into the air landing another blow sending his opponent further into the sky. Kick after kick sent the pair higher and higher until they were higher than the highest building in Konoha. The young ninja finished his combo with a powerful punch forcing Kisame towards the ground.

The Akatsuki quickly made several seals and a torrent of water exploded from his hands towards the ground, slowing his rate of descent. He looked up and saw his attacker returning to ground level. 'Enough games, time to end this.' Kisame formed a long list of seals faster than most eyes could follow before unleashing an enormous shark surrounded by a lake's worth of water. Finding it's target, the shark swam through the air, quickly gaining speed. The falling ninja began to glow, which expanded into something resembling a falling meteor. The flames around the Konoha-nin brightened as

the two forces collided in mid-air.

The explosion was such that the swordsman was forced to look away until it passed. When he looked back up to see what had happened, his great shark had disappeared and the green shinobi was still falling. For a moment he thought he had won, but he recognized the stabilizing movements as his foe tried to land on his feet. When he landed, he did so in a kneeling position, creating a small indent in the street.

"It isn't possible. No one has ever survived my pet before." Kisame said with disbelief. He clenched his grip on his legendary blade and charged without further preamble, hoping to catch his opponent off guard. Using all of his years of training as a Kenjutsu master, he swung his blade with perfect precision; never without purpose or excessive force. His style was powerful but graceful, elegant, yet savage. Yet no matter how perfect his stance, he could not land a strike on the young ninja. His foe moved with even greater precision, never more than necessary to avoid injury. Furthermore, he waited to evade until the last possible instant, making any alteration on Kisame's part impossible.

Finally, the swordsman made his first error. In trying to anticipate his opponent's evasion, he intentionally swung his blade wide. Unfortunately, Lee was no longer planning on dodging. Switching to offensive, Lee moved into the strike. He grabbed Kisame by the wrist and using his shoulder as a fulcrum, pulled as hard as he could. The Akatsuki's elbow, unable to bend that direction, snapped, both disarming and incapacitating him.

Kisame lay, defeated. If he was going to die here, he at least wanted to know how he was defeated. "How are you stronger than your master?"

"My master taught me all he knew, but it is not all I learned. I am a ninja because he saw potential in me. I am a master because he invested his life into me. And I defeated you because he passed on his will of fire to me." he answered as he closed his inner gates. "Now, how many others infiltrated the village?"

Kisame laughed. "You'll get nothing from me kid. If I go, my secrets go with me."

Lee's face remained stone cold, "If you do not tell me what I need to know, I will kill you."

The Akatsuki's face suddenly turned dead serious. "I am the last of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. The only way I will die is of my own will." Having said this, he bit off a false tooth, swallowing the lethal contents before Lee could stop him.

The young ninja could do nothing as his opponent twitched one final time before finally accepting death's cold embrace. The taijutsu master was surprised at the lengths the water-nin would go to protect his comrades. "In your own way, you were an honorable ninja, Kisame Hoshigaki. I will remember your name."

Lee succumbed to the after-effects of opening the gates. Blood freely poured from his ears and nose due to the strain it placed on his body. His legs stiffened, forcing him to fall on his back. Now he could only hope that an ally found him instead of an enemy. 'Guy-Sensei, I did it. I protected a precious person.' With that thought, Lee faded into darkness.

Author's Note: Not one of my best chapter's perhaps, but I wanted a fight between Kisame and Gai's Student. Hope you enjoyed. Please review and let me know what you thought!

Thanks again to Dinesh for reviewing the chapter for me and giving me some great ideas to improve it!


	11. Chapter 11 - The Reunion

Author's note: I'm super proud of this chapter so let me know what you think.

Also, I have noticed that my pride and joy in writing this story is writing the one-on-one fight scenes. Therefore I was considering writing a "tournament style" naruto story. My plan would be the following characters in a tournament.

Naruto

Sasuke

Sakura

Rock Lee

Tenten

Neji

Kiba

Shino

Hinata

Chouji

Shikamaru

Ino

Gaara

Kankuro

Temari

Sai

The idea is that you as the viewers would decide who fights who and vote for who would win (though I would have the final decision) I thought about adding people like kakashi and jiraiya, but the rookie nine wouldn't stand a chance. Anyway, the timeline would be early shipuudden (no sage mode, etc.) if anyone has suggestions for how to set up the tournament so viewers can decide who fights who, I would be grateful. I'll start with a small intro chapter and use the first poll after that on the new story probably. But please let me know if you think this is a good idea! I have a poll posted on my profile for the first fight. PLEASE ANSWER THE POLL! The tournament story is called Mortal Ninja Tournament.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 11 – The Reunion

Naruto and Sakura had run directly to the Hokage Tower to find out what was going on. Seeing several other shinobi on the scene, they quickly decided there was nothing they could do there at the moment. They parted ways, with Sakura heading for the hospital to help with the wounded and Naruto running toward Shikamaru's house to wake the genius and inform him of the situation.

Naruto couldn't believe that he had finally told Sakura his feelings for her. He felt like Lee must feel when he removed those weights from his body. He felt faster, stronger, and lighter than ever. He had been terrified when he was waiting on her response. Those few seconds had seemed to last for hours. Although Sakura had not exactly returned his feelings, at least she hadn't said "Ew, gross!" and knocked him back to last week. However she chose to respond, he was glad he had finally confessed to her. If she returned his feelings he would be the happiest man in the world. Even if she didn't feel the same, she deserved to know how he felt.

Naruto was worried about the explosion. Aside from the fact that it had ruined his moment with Sakura, it most likely meant that Baa-chan was in trouble. The blonde was sure that if there was trouble at the Hokage Tower, then more trouble was coming soon. If the enemy had infiltrated the village, it was unlikely that just one Akatsuki came through. Shikamaru was their best bet of discovering the enemy plan in time to counter it.

As Naruto was running past the lake, he had a moment of déjà vu. A man was sitting on a dock facing away from him, but the blonde recognized him anyway; Sasuke. The blonde stopped in his tracks looking closer to be sure he wasn't imagining it. No, it was him alright. There was no mistaking that raven hair or his trademark blade he wore on his back. Naruto pulled a kunai from his pack and stared below at his once best friend. Sasuke stood from the dock, apparently waiting for Naruto's arrival.

"Brings back memories, doesn't it, Naruto?"

_Flashback: (manga 229 – Village Lake: Forming Bonds)_

_Naruto was watching the other kids as they were picked up by their parents. Not for the first time, he wondered why he didn't have parents who loved him. Sighing, he stood and began the long walk home. As he was passing the lake on the outskirts of Konoha he saw Sasuke, his rival, sitting alone on the dock. He wondered why he was sitting alone and deep down, he understood that Sasuke was the same as him. It was only because there were rivals in the academy that Narhto didn't go down and talk to him. However, it was in this moment that his first bond was forged. _

_End Flashback_

"It was here where our bond was made, and here it will be unmade."he continued.

Suddenly, Sasuke opened his eyes, his sharingan activated. Something looked different about his eyes. They looked older, like they had experienced many more years than the eighteen he had.

"So, you noticed then, have you, Naruto? My eyes, they are my brother's; Itachi's." Sasuke said with a sly grin. "I now have the eternal mangekyou sharingan; the true eyes of the Uchiha."

"Sasuke, I'll ask you one more time for Sakura's sake; will you forsake your hatred and return to us?" Naruto knew what his answer would be, but he also knew he would regret it forever if he didn't at least ask before the battle began.

"My hatred has given me the power I need to finally get my revenge. No, I will not forsake it. I will use it! And through my hate, I will cleanse the name of the Uchiha!" Sasuke jumped down from the tree he was standing in, landing within attack distance of the blonde shinobi. "Come, Naruto. Let us find out once and for all who is stronger."

"So be it." Naruto and Sasuke charged at one another; Naruto with a Rasengan and Sasuke with a Chidori. Time seemed to slow. Suddenly it was as if he was watching the fight unfold from outside of his body. He watched his body charge forward, the Rasengan it held a swirling mass of devastation. He watched Sasuke do likewise, his hand ablaze with the fury of lightning incarnate. Naruto was once again struck with déjà vu, this time of their encounter at the Valley of the End.

_Flashback (manga 232 – Valley of the End: Naruto vs. Sasuke)_

_Their fight had dragged on and on. What began as a rescue mission had turned into a fight to the death with the comrade he came to save. Neither was willing to give up on their promise; Sasuke, to acquire power to kill his brother, Itachi, and Naruto to bring Sasuke back to Sakura. Sasuke had proven beyond a doubt that he was truly willing to kill his teammate to gain the power he desired. In the end, it came down to a final moment. Naruto had a Rasengan in his hands, imbued with the demon fox's chakra and Sasuke, in his cursed seal form, had an enhanced Chidori. They charged one another head on with fury in both of their eyes. Their jutsus collided beneath the waterfall of the Valley of the End. The resulting explosion was so massive, the waterfall actually stopped for a moment._

_End Flashback_

Time sped up again as their jutsus collided with one another, neither gaining any advantage over the other, in a violent flash, knocking both of them back several feet. Naruto was the first to return to his feet and he again dashed at Sasuke, making twenty shadow clones along the way. The Uchiha drew his blade and ran into the thick of Naruto and his clones, leaving a puff of smoke for every clone he dispatched. The blonde observed the sharingan user as he quickly destroyed clone after clone, looking for any weaknesses or opportunities; none presented themselves.

The Uchiha's form was flawless. Even though he was entirely surrounded by enemies, his timing was perfect. Naruto watched as one clone kicked high at Sasuke. The raven haired ninja ducked and spun, sweeping the legs out from underneath another clone and impaling the first clone through the chest. A third clone dove at the Uchiha from behind. Sasuke jumped in the air, simultaneously summoning several kunai into his hands and threw them expertly, dispatching four more clones. His every move was both offensive and defensive at the same time. When all of the clones had been removed, Sasuke, not even breathing hard, looked at Naruto with his sharingan and smirked, "Is that all you got,dobe? Haven't you learned any new tricks?"

With a curse, Naruto darted toward his rival, "I'm just getting started!" The blonde threw two shuriken at Sasuke to distract him while he got closer. Almost without looking, the Uchiha caught the shuriken in his bare hands and hurled them back at Naruto. The orange clad ninja slid on his knees, ducking underneath the flying weapons, and immediately regained his footing; ready to strike the ex-Team Seven member.

Naruto swung his kunai at Sasuke hard enough that when the raven haired shinobi blocked the strike he was shoved back a couple of feet. The blonde unrelentingly struck again and again, switching between high and low attacks, centered and wide strikes in an effort to get around his opponent's defenses. Sasuke, in return, matched his intensity blow for blow.

Assessing Naruto's abilities, Sasuke determined that the blonde was physically stronger than he was. He could feel his katana bending after blocking some of his more powerful hits. However, the Uchiha would win the battle of speed. Summoning a kunai from the seal in his arm, Sasuke doubled his attacks by using the second weapon in conjunction with his katana. Naruto began to retreat, a result of his desire not to give up fighting with the realization that he could not keep up with all of the sharingan user's attacks.

Seeing his opportunity, Sasuke ducked beneath Naruto's next attack and stabbed him in his left thigh with his kunai. With a scream of pain, the orange clad ninja kicked Sasuke solidly in the ribs leaving the kunai buried several inches in his leg. Naruto gritted his teeth and pulled the weapon out with a spurt of blood. Testing that he could still put his weight on the injured leg, he looked up to the Uchiha and gave him an intense look.

"It hardly seems like you are trying your best, Naruto." said Sasuke as he rubbed the ache out of his side. They both heard some movement through the trees and glanced over, careful to keep a wary eye on one another, as Sakura emerged from behind a tree near Sasuke.

"Sakura-chan? What are you doing here?" said the surprised Naruto.

Sakura's green eyes met his, "I heard fighting and I wanted to see if I could help."

"Sakura-chan, get out of here! He's too powerful for you! Run away!" Naruto said as he sprinted toward her as fast as his wounded leg would let him.

Sakura tugged on her black gloves, "Naruto, do you really think I'm that weak? Don't worry, I can handle this." she said as Sasuke prepared another Chidori.

Sakura ran at Sasuke with her chakra-filled fist pulled back, ready to strike. Sasuke didn't move, he was content to let her come to him. Naruto, watched the pink haired ninja charge the Uchiha, knowing he wouldn't be able to make it in time. Suddenly, Sasuke vanished only to reappear beside Sakura, his arm piercing through where her heart should be.

"NO!" shouted Naruto as he rushed to her side.

Sasuke pulled his arm out of his old teammate and backed off, letting Naruto go to her. The blonde arrived at Sakura's side not knowing what to do about the gaping hole in her chest. The female shinobi couldn't breathe, she stared deeply into Naruto's eyes and tried to speak, but wasn't able to form the words. The orange clad ninja cupped her face with his hands, trying to convey all of his feelings through his touch. Gradually, her eyes focused on something beyond him and she was gone; dead.

Naruto felt tears pouring from his eyes as he mourned the loss of the girl of his dreams. This couldn't be happening. He had sworn to himself that he would protect her. After everything they had been through, after he had finally confessed his feelings to her, Sasuke had killed her. Naruto had always sought after Sasuke; even begged the Raikage to withdraw the execution order on his friend. In return, the Uchiha had killed the person most important to him. The blonde gritted his teeth and clinched his fists tightly. Sasuke had gone too far this time. Naruto was done protecting him. If the sharingan user wanted a fight, then that is exactly what he would get.

Seeing his tension, Sasuke said, "It always did get you riled up when Sakura was in danger. At least now I know why. You love her." It wasn't a question.

Ignoring the statement, Naruto threw a kunai at Sasuke, which he dodged with ease. Too late, the unsuspecting Uchiha failed to see his old teammate, moving faster than his sharingan could keep up with, as he shoulder bashed him hard into a tree. "Well, Naruto, it seems you are finally serious. It's about time." Sasuke smiled as he returned to his feet and dusted himself off.

Naruto looked back to where Sakura lay only to find that she was nowhere to be found. The blonde looked to Sasuke in confusion. The ex-teammate had also disappeared. Naruto heard the Uchiha directly behind him. "You haven't figured it out yet? It was an illusion, dobe." Naruto's eyes went wide. He had been completely fooled by the genjutsu.

"You mean..." Naruto started with hope in his voice.

No, she isn't dead." Sasuke finished. "I just needed to make sure you were serious about this fight. It won't be as fun to kill you if you aren't at your best."

"If you ever touch her, I promise I'll kill you." Naruto said seriously, still not turning around to face the Uchiha.

Sasuke smirked, "Don't worry. By the time I get to her, you'll already be dead. Then you can finally be together." he added sarcastically.

Enraged, Naruto spun around swinging a right hook at Sasuke's face. Expecting the blow, the Uchiha ducked and kicked the blonde back several feet. He stood up and again faced the raven-haired shinobi, his eyes toad-like from entering sage mode. "Okay, Sasuke. Now is your chance. Come at me with everything you have. Because if you don't, you'll die. I won't go easy on you." Naruto was shaking with fury, nervousness, excitement, fear, and an assortment of other emotions at the long awaited confrontation. This was it. After more than four years of training and hunting, Sasuke, the brother who had saved his life on countless occasions, was standing in front of him, wanting to kill him.

Sasuke dipped his katana in a sarcastic salute and charged. Naruto created a dozen sage shadow clones and sent them to intercept the Uchiha. The first clone ran straight at Sasuke with his fist cocked back. The Uchiha thrust his katana into the clone's chest. As the clone disappeared, he threw a smoke bomb on the ground that enveloped the nearby area. Using their sage ability to sense nearby chakra, the remaining clones darted into the smoke after their foe. Sasuke's sharingan was useless if he couldn't see his opponent. Relying on his sense of hearing, he dodged one clone that attempted to tackle him to the ground. He side-stepped a second clone that tried to sneak up behind him and dispatched him with a quick thrust. A third clone slid beneath the Uchiha's guard and kicked him upward where the remaining eight other clones waited.

"Naruto Renden!" shouted the clones as they hit Sasuke with all their might. The raven haired ninja slammed into the ground with enough force that a crater was formed around his body. Naruto waited for the smoke to clear to see what became of his old teammate. When the smoke dissipated, Sasuke stood, shrouded in electricity.

It was a good thing he had once fought the Raikage. His sharingan had copied his ability to surround the body with lightning and use it as a shield. Sasuke had activated the lightning shield just before he struck the ground from Naruto's attack. Although still wounded from the blow itself, it dulled the impact with the ground significantly. The Uchiha formed a Chidori in his right hand and shot it from his hand, piercing the nearest Naruto clone. Then, using the extended Chidori like a whip, he lashed out, expertly destroying clone after clone.

"Chidori Senbon!" Sasuke shot hundreds of little needles of lightning toward the real Naruto as he finished the last clone with his katana. The blonde created one more clone and hid behind it as the needles hit the clone, leaving him unharmed. When the barrage ended, the clone dissipated, revealing that Naruto had created two more clones and was creating a strange Rasengan. Sasuke noticed the blades on the ball of chakra resembled a shuriken.

Naruto cried out, "Rasen-Shuriken!" and hurled the rotating orb of energy toward his rival. The wind augmented Rasengan reached its target and exploded, shredding trees and other nearby landscape and leaving a crater the size of a building. Breathing hard, Naruto stared at the crater, wondering if his technique had been successful. In the swirl of the settling dust, the blonde saw a massive shadow, larger than a dozen men, with eyes that struck fear into all who looked upon them.

"Naruto, meet Susano'o; the Uchiha's ultimate defense." said Sasuke. Surrounding and towering over the raven haired ninja was a demon skeleton that was slowly growing muscles and tendons over its form. Aside from a scorch mark on its arm from where the demon had blocked the Rasen-Shuriken, it was unharmed. How could it have defended against such a high level technique so easily?

Sasuke smirked at his old teammate with one eye closed. "Even your strongest technique can barely scratch my defense. Although, you should be proud, no one has even done that before." The Uchiha's closed eye began to bleed from all of the charka being focused in it. "Now, time for you to see my ultimate attack, Amaterasu!" Sasuke opened his now bloodshot eye and black flames poured from his eye toward Naruto.

Naruto had seen Itachi use this technique years ago before he left to train with Jiraiya. It was said that anything that touched the black flames would be consumed, for the fire could not be put out by anyone other than the one who ignited it in the first place. Naruto ran for his life. If those flames even touched him, he was finished. Sasuke's eyes followed the blonde's fleeing form, attempting to finish this quickly. Using both Susano'o and Amaterasu at the same time was taking its toll on the Uchiha's chakra levels. He would not be able to use both abilities much longer.

Naruto dodged behind tree after tree which shortly after burst into flames when Sasuke's technique caught up. The blonde could feel the heat on his back from the black fire that was slowly gaining on him. He needed to do something. Running wouldn't solve his problem, merely delay the inevitable. Forming an idea, Naruto grabbed an exploding tag from his pouch, attached it to a kunai and threw it at Sasuke. Knowing he wouldn't be in any danger, the Uchiha let the blow land. The tagged kunai exploded, shrouding Sasuke in smoke. Using his precious reprieve while his opponent couldn't see him, Naruto hid behind a tree and using all of his remaining chakra, prepared another Rasen-Shuriken.

Sasuke, recognizing that Naruto's eyes had returned to their usual blue color, knew that his rival was putting everything he had into this move. Naruto threw the Rasen-Shuriken with all of his might. The twirling ball of chakra sped through a wall of Amaterasu fire and became colossal in size as it headed toward the Uchiha.

_Flashback (OC – Konoha Training Grounds: Elemental Advantage)_

_Kakashi had just finished explaining to Naruto about the five different elements of chakra; Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth, and Water after discovering that the blonde shinobi had an affinity for the Wind element.. Now he needed to explain to the kid how the balance between the elements worked. "Listen up, Naruto. Every element is both strong against one element, and weak against another, like in Rock, Paper, Scissors. Your element, Wind, for instance, is weak against fire. It will only make the fire burn hotter and faster. However, Wind is strong against Lightning and will over power it. Do you understand, Naruto?"_

_Naruto looked thoughtful. "Sasuke uses the fire element. He will always have the advantage over me."_

_Kakashi was impressed that Naruto noticed this so quickly. "That's true, but Sasuke also uses the lightning element, which you have the advantage over. So it evens out."_

_End Flashback_

The now flaming Rasen-Shuriken collided with Susano'o and Sasuke issued a bloodcurdling scream. The explosion encompassed more than two hundred feet in any direction and could be seen from miles away. It was a good thing Konoha had evacuated the villagers as numerous homes near the battle site were obliterated in the blast.

Author's note: Awesome right? Anyway, please review and let me know what you think of both this chapter and of my tournament idea. I have a poll posted on my profile for the first fight. PLEASE ANSWER THE POLL! The tournament story is called Mortal Ninja Tournament.


	12. Chapter 12 - Jugo Approaches

Author's note: Sorry this took so long. The truth is my reviewer and I had a horrible time coordinating. Finally we figured things out and thus a new chapter is born!

Please enjoy and please review and tell me what you think!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 12 – Jugo Approaches

Sakura had felt the explosion from the hospital and looked outside a window in time to see the remnants of the blast as debris fell to the ground. It must have required a massive amount of chakra to create a blast that big. The only person she knew who had that much chakra was…Naruto. Now she was worried. He wouldn't use a jutsu of that magnitude unless he was out of options out of fear of injuring an ally in the process. She couldn't explain it, but she knew he was in trouble. Big trouble. She finished mending her current patient and ran toward the exit of the hospital, bumping into Ino along the way. "Ino, can you cover for me? I have something I have to do."

Ino had also felt the explosion and assumed that was where she was heading. "Sure, Sakura. But be careful. It's likely to still be dangerous out there."

"Thanks, Ino. I will." said Sakura as she sprinted out of the hospital. Would even Naruto be able to survive a blast like that? She had to hurry. She had to get to him. He could be lying on the ground, bleeding out at this very moment. She didn't have time to worry about how many enemies there were between them. She had to get to him.

Her mind was overwhelmed with how much had happened just in the last few hours. It hadn't even been two hours since Naruto had confessed his love for her.

Naruto loved her.

Kami, how could she have been so stupid? Why hadn't she ever noticed before? It all seemed so obvious now. Naruto had always been there to save her. She would be dead a hundred times over by now if it wasn't for him. She knew he would risk himself for any teammate, but for her it was different. For her he would do anything. Even chase down the man she loved.

She would never forget the look on his face as he made that promise to her. He had looked like someone had taken a sledgehammer and shattered his heart, which is of course, exactly what she had done. What was his reaction? He had smiled at her, a fake one of course, and promised her to bring back the one who would make her happy. He had sacrificed his happiness for hers. He really did love her.

Sakura smiled to herself as she remembered a particular time when Naruto had saved her from certain death.

_Flashback (manga 144 – Konoha Village: Sakura's Savior)_

_Sakura approached Sasuke nervously, "Sasuke-kun, thank you for that time you saved me from the grip of the sand."_

_Sasuke stared forward at Naruto with anger in his voice. "No, the one who saved you was Naruto."_

"_No way." Sakura said. "You're just being modest. Sure, Naruto is getting stronger, but that sand guy-"_

_Sasuke interrupted her, "It's the truth. To save you, that guy risked death. Up until now, you haven't really seen him, so you haven't seen his strength either."_

_Sakura looked at Naruto. He was goofing off with Kakashi, acting like his usual idiotic self. 'Naruto defeated Gaara? Even when Sasuke could not? How could a baka like him save me?' she thought._

_End flashback_

All her childhood, she had idolized Sasuke along with Ino and many other fan girls. He had everything a girl could ask for. He was handsome, mysterious, and by far the best ninja in their class. Sakura had long since learned that none of those things were what made a great man. Character and responsibility, not ability, were what made a great man. Naruto had taught her that.

On her way, she saw three figures lying prone on the ground. As much as she wanted to get to Naruto, she couldn't abandon her medical training. She headed towards the three ninja, instantly concluding that two were already dead. She tried and failed to stop herself from recognizing Gai as one of the men. The other was an elite Akatsuki member, Kisame. The final figure was Lee. He wasn't dead, thank goodness, but she could tell he sustained serious injuries.

Green chakra sprung forth as she hovered her hand over Lee's body, healing the deep gash in his left side. Activating the gates sped up the flow of blood to force more oxygen to the muscles. The side effect of this, was that he had lost a lot of blood from his wound. Stimulating the red blood cells to reproduce was child's play to a medical ninja of her caliber, but the burns took a bit longer. Her patient regained consciousness as she finished stabilizing him. She didn't have time to heal him fully, she still had to find Naruto.

Lee looked up at Sakura, "Am I dead? Are you an angel?"

She couldn't resist smiling, "No, Lee. You just pushed yourself to hard. But you did it. Kisame is dead."

He plopped his head back on the ground and breathed a sigh of relief. "Why was he here? What's happening Sakura?"

"I don't know. Something bad." She wished she could give him some good news, but she wasn't sure if there wasn't any at the moment. "Remembering her purpose, she gazed in the direction from which the blast came from. "I have to go, Lee. I don't think you should move too much yet. Get to a shelter and wait for help. I'll send someone to you when I can."

Lee closed his eyes. "Good luck, I'll just wait here."

Sakura smiled again. She placed her hands to his temple and sent a pulse of chakra to knock him out. After that she dragged him a shelter before continuing to her destination.

She hoped the delay didn't slow her down too much. Although, it was good to know that Lee was okay. It would take him weeks to recover, but he was okay. To take down someone of Kisame's level; that was an extraordinary feat. If Lee wasn't already in the bingo books due to his outstanding taijutsu skills, he would be in it now.

Sakura was pulled once again from her thoughts by a blast nearby. Although this was not in the same area as the explosion she had seen from the hospital, she nevertheless decided to check it out.

_A few minutes ago…_

Jugo's task was simple; cause as much devastation as possible to distract the enemy shinobi from the Akatsuki's true purpose. He had partially transformed into his cursed state and was prowling the village, looking where to strike first. Not seeing any villagers to kill, he continued wondering until he passed the market area where many of his fellow shinobi died. The small part of him that was still human, the part that enjoyed talking to the birds and other animals of the forest was appalled at the carnage around him. The cursed side of him, however, took a sinister pleasure in the pain and suffering of those around him and he increased the pace of his search, his bloodlust soaring.

Neji had also felt the blast near the training grounds. Using his Byakugan, he scanned the area trying to determine the cause. He easily determined that the level of chakra required to create such a blast was astronomical. Whatever was going on, it was beyond his level to interfere with. The Hyuuga moved his gaze across the village, looking for other chakra signatures that were out of place. He knew that something strange was going on. First, the Hokage Tower had collapsed. Luckily, it was early enough in the morning that few if any would have been inside save the Hokage herself. Activating his Byakugan, he satisfied for himself that there was no one, either dead or alive, inside the broken building. Although he didn't know what to make of that information, he didn't have time to worry about it for now.

His thoughts returned to the massive discharge of chakra near the village lake. Neji felt useless. It was like the Invasion of Pain all over again. All he could do was keep his eyes open and watch and trust his friends to handle what he could not. That day was the first day that he found his skills inadequate to deal with a situation. He may be a genius, but he could no longer rely on the strength that fate alone provided him. Naruto had proved to him that natural ability alone did not make a shinobi stronger than another. Neji thought back to that day many years ago.

_Flashback (manga 100 – Konoha Arena: Naruto vs. Neji)_

_After effortlessly defeating a wave of Naruto's clones, Neji looks at Naruto and smirks, "Talent is decided at your birth. You could say that everything is decided when a person is born."_

_With a surge of anger, Naruto shouted, "Why the hell do you always automatically decide things like that!?"_

"_Then, are you saying that anyone can become Hokage through hard work?" Neji said sarcastically. "Only a handful of shinobi are chosen as Hokage. Look closer at reality! Those that become Hokage are born into that destiny. You don't become it by trying. It is decided by destiny. People must live within their own unchangeable flow. Only one; the only destiny that every person shares, is death."_

_Shortly after, Naruto defeated Neji by digging through the ground with his bare hands, placing himself directly beneath the Hyuuga and delivering a vicious uppercut._

_End Flashback_

Neji couldn't believe that he was once so ignorant. He had trained hard since that day, no longer relying on his birthright to be the sole provider of his strength. The whole Hyuuga clan had recognized his improvement and believed him to be one of the strongest of all the Hyuuga, even though he was a branch family member and a young one at that. Pain's Invasion made him see that though he was strong, he was not powerful enough to protect his family, friends, and village.

Movement out of the corner of his eye caught Neji's attention. A shinobi was traveling practically on all fours heading away from the market. The Hyuuga rushed to intercept his new opponent, glad to finally be of use to his home. He jumped out onto the path where the enemy ninja would be traveling soon and waited. He saw his foe speed up, sensing an enemy ahead.

This concerned Neji. Most shinobi would slow down upon sensing an adversary and check for traps or other ninja in the area. This beast-like being was acting like he didn't care what he faced as long as he had the chance to fight and to kill. Ninja who put such little thought into tactics rarely lived long, unless they were really powerful.

As Neji feared, the enemy was near a full sprint as he rounded the final curve between them and dove at the Hyuuga hoping for a quick kill. The genius, always prepared for such simple attacks, merely side-stepped out of harm's way as his opponent sailed past, missing by inches. As the beast landed, he turned and for the first time, began assessing his newest enemy. Neji was also analyzing his foe, watching his limbs carefully should he attack again.

The Hyuuga recognized the part of the creature that still appeared human from his bingo book. It appeared to be Jugo, the origin of Orochimaru's curse mark. If he was currently partially transformed, it would explain his beast-like shape. According to the book, Jugo was currently a member of Sasuke's Team Hawk. If Jugo was here, it was almost certain that the Uchiha was here as well. He needed to finish this quickly so he could warn the village about this new development.

Jugo, either done assessing the skills of his opponent or too excited to remain idle any longer, again charged and jumped into the air toward Neji. The Hyuuga also ran at the Akatsuki and ducked beneath the flying beast. As he passed beneath the creature, he pushed upward on his adversary's leg, causing him to land face first on the ground. Jugo immediately returned to his feet, more humiliated than injured, and again leaped at the genius.

Neji smirked at his opponent's stupidity and again dropped underneath the airborne Akatsuki. Almost too late, the Hyuuga saw the creature's tail aiming directly for him. The genius evaded as much as could, but still took a gash to his left leg. "So, he does learn from his mistakes. I underestimated him.' Neji thought as he put weight on his leg, testing its functionality.

Jugo licked his lips at the sight of the fresh blood. He morphed his hands into long claws to provide himself the advantage of reach. Neji, seeing the change, moved to his combat stance and awaited his enemy's attack. The Akatsuki didn't hesitate as he dashed toward the Hyuuga, his mind obsessed with the need to kill and stand over a fresh corpse.

The beast swung again and again, his fury growing with every strike that didn't land. Neji, with his Byakugan activated, could see from the movements of his opponent where every blow would come from. Never moving more than necessary, the Hyuuga dodged every attack with apparent ease, never more than a few inches from death.

The Akatsuki member was fighting with a style similar to Kiba's, with whom he had sparred with on many occasions. They both used clawing and slashing motions that were similar to how a bear would swipe at an enemy. He sparring was paying off as Neji used his experience and instincts to continue to cheat death by evading every blow that Jugo swung.

Observing the creature's stance closely, Neji noticed he was leaning forward too far, leaving his center of gravity out of line with his footing. After ducking beneath another slash, the Hyuuga palmed the Akatsuki's knee sideways, causing him to stumble forward to keep from falling. Neji used the opportunity to kick the other leg out from underneath Jugo and force him to the ground once again. Before the Akatsuki had even hit the ground, the genius was on top of him, pummeling his chest with his Gentle Fist Style. "Eight Trigrams: Sixty-Four Palms!" Neji unleashed a barrage of strikes, each hitting a chakra node on his opponent, prohibiting his ability to use chakra. The Hyuuga put some distance between himself and the creature, knowing better than to become overconfident.

Jugo got to his feet, laughing loudly, "You think I've never heard of the Hyuuga clan before, brat?" The Akatsuki revealed his fully transformed body, his hands forming into different weapons as he thought of different ways to massacre his soon-to-be victim. "My cursed form makes your Gentle Fist Style useless. Don't you see with those special eyes of yours? I have every advantage in this fight!"

Looking closer with his Byakugan, Neji saw that he was right. The cursed form of Jugo coated his entire body with chakra, forming basically a shield against all chakra based attacks, including his Gentle Fist. None of his attacks could penetrate the outer layer to close a chakra node.

Cursing to himself, Neji returned to his ready stance as he thought of what he should do next. The more Jugo attacked him, the more he learned how to get past his defenses. Neji knew he wouldn't be able to dodge forever. He needed a way to end this fight quickly, but he was out of ideas. The Akatsuki charged low, expecting Neji to duck beneath him again. Instead, the Hyuuga leaped over his opponent. When he landed behind Jugo, he shouted, "Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!" The force of the ranged palm strike combined with the forward momentum of the creature sent the Akatsuki flying forward, slamming him into a building, collapsing it on top of him.

Neji observed as Jugo stood, lifting a large piece of the wall he had just crashed into above him. The Akatsuki launched the wall broadside at the Hyuuga. The wall was so big, and traveling so fast that Neji didn't have time to leap out of the way of the projectile. The genius quickly concentrated on his palm and thrust it forward just as the wall reached him. The force of his palm strike broke through the wall, causing the crumbling pieces of the wall to pass harmlessly by. Directly behind the wall, Jugo charged at the unsuspecting Hyuuga and punched him hard in the gut, knocking him to the ground.

The creature stood over Neji and slammed his fist into him again. The Jonin, coughing up blood, could hardly breathe after only those two hits. Jugo grabbed Neji and morphed his arm into a rocket at the elbow. "Now, Hyuuga, you die!" the Akatsuki said with an excited shout. The rockets activated and Jugo's arm exploded downward, crushing Neji beneath its force and causing a crater around his now broken body.

Author's Note: another cliffhanger. I promise I'll post the next chapter relatively soon to make up for this chapter being late. Thanks for reading! Please review! And as always, thanks to Dinesh for reviewing the chapter for me!

narp73


	13. Chapter 13 - War and Peace

Author's Note:I'm so close to 50,000 words it isn't even funny. Anyway, please review and let me know what you think of the chapter. All suggestions are welcome. Thanks again to Dinesh for reviewing this chapter for me. Thanks everyone for sticking with me this far!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 13 – War and Peace

_Now…_

Sakura burst through an alley and saw Jugo, facing away from her, standing over Neji's body as the dust from the crater settled. Infuriated at her friend's condition, the pink haired ninja sprinted at the Akatsuki and thrust her chakra filled fist into his lower back.

One of the first lessons that Tsunade taught her was to always aim for a pressure point or critical area of the body. Even using moderate force, this provided a noticeable advantage over simply landing blows. When combined with her incredible chakra-enhanced strength, she could easily incapacitate most enemies with a single strike.

Sakura's attack landed directly in his kidney, launching him back into the rubble he had just climbed out of. Even in his full cursed form, she knew it would take him a while to recover from that hit. The medic-nin used the opportunity to examine Neji. He had several broken ribs, one of which had punctured his left lung, and his chakra was depleted to the point that Sakura was surprised that he was still conscious.

The kunoichi began by extracting the rib from Neji's lung and swiftly repairing the tear, allowing him to breathe easy once more. She continued repairing his other wounds while he caught his breathe to tell her what happened. "Jugo's strong. He did all of this with practically one hit. I used too much chakra trying to soften the blow and it still wasn't enough."

"Shh, it's ok. You are going to be fine. You did well; I will finish up things here." Sakura told him soothingly.

Using his Byakugan, Neji saw that Sakura wasn't at full strength. She had most likely used a lot of chakra healing the wounded at the hospital, as well as himself. "No offense, Sakura, but in your current condition you won't be able to defeat him."

Sakura smiled and said cryptically, "I don't need to defeat him. Don't worry, I have a plan. Now get to the hospital before I knock you there myself."

Neji nodded, trusting that his friend knew what she was doing, and a little frightened that she would follow through with her threat said, "Hai, Sakura-san." The Hyuuga, still wounded, stumbled away as swiftly as he could before the fight began anew. Just before he left her view, he stopped and spoke so only Sakura could hear, "He will attack high first." With that, he left for the hospital.

Sakura stood and grabbed something from her pack which she hid in her right hand. Jugo had returned to his feet and observed Neji as he departed. Glaring hard at Sakura, he said, "How dare you interfere with my kill. I'll rip you to pieces!" His hands morphed into weapons of all kinds as he imagined all of the ways he could torture his new opponent. Sakura remained unmoving, waiting for the Akatsuki to attack.

At last, Jugo dashed towards the medic-nin, his hands still changing between deadly weapons. He swung his arms wide so she would be unable to dodge his attack to the side and dived toward his prey.

If you knew what to look for, the human body was very predictable. By the tense muscles in the shoulders, Sakura could tell which arm the creature would attack with. By the brief glances of his eye, she could tell in which direction he expected her to move. By the short step that always preceded a large jump, she could tell not only when the attack would come, but also how fast and high Jugo would leap at her. Quickly processing all of this information, Sakura jumped over the Akatsuki, knowing it was the only way to avoid his left handed hammer blow. When she reached the peak of her arc, just above her opponent and in his blind spot, she unleashed a powerful right handed punch just below his neck, temporarily paralyzing him.

The strike forced Jugo to the ground hard, causing another small crater. Sakura spun around the instant she landed and jabbed the Akatsuki with the object hidden in her left hand. Almost instantly, the curse form began to dissipate and Jugo returned to his human form. Sighing with relief that the injection worked, Sakura sat down beside her former foe, quietly thanking her master.

_Flashback (OC – Konoha Village: Tsunade's Meeting)_

_Sakura, still a little annoyed at being called away from her date with Naruto, knocked and entered the Hokage's Office. Tsunade was sitting at her desk with what was labeled a water bottle, but most likely contained sake, in her hand. "Oi, Sakura! Come in, come in." said Tsunade._

_Sakura did as she was told and waited for her master to begin the discussion as she was taught. "Tell me your side of this prophecy story, Sakura." Tsunade said._

_The Hokage paid close attention to her apprentice's actions and inflections as she was told how they made contact with the raiders and followed them back to their base. Sakura spoke of Shikamaru's master plan to defeat the enemy and the nearly flawless execution of it. _

_Sakura spoke with a monotone, as if she were reciting a report she had memorized. She reached the part where the rest of the team entered the leader's tent to see Naruto standing alone, the leader nowhere in sight. Lastly, she told her master of her conversation with Naruto about the prophecy and about his personal role in it. Tsunade knew her apprentice well enough to know that she was very worried about the young knucklehead. _

"_Listen to me, Sakura. In my experience, prophecies, if they are true at all, rarely turn out exactly how they sound. I've known people who have fought so hard to circumvent a prophecy that they unintentionally caused it to occur." Tsunade softened her tone to a sympathetic one. "Trust me, it is better if you just don't think about it and do what your heart tells you to."_

_Sakura smiled in gratitude, "Thank you, master."_

_The Hokage could tell that her apprentice had more on her mind, but she didn't want to force the young woman into sharing anything she wasn't ready to. Besides, she had news of her own. She slid an injection needle across the desk to the pink haired ninja. "What is this?" asked Sakura._

"_This is what Anko and I have been working on for months now." Tsunade said proudly. "I've assumed for some time now that it would come down to a fight with the Akatsuki. Therefore, I've been making preparations to aid us in that battle. Anko has the curse mark which originated with Jugo, one of the Akatsuki members." The Hokage saw her apprentice's eyes widen at the mention of one of Sasuke's team members. "She and I have been working with her curse mark trying to find a cure. This injection is our latest prototype. It hasn't been thoroughly tested yet, but it seems we have run out of time, and this is the best we have."_

_End Flashback_

As Jugo completed the transformation back to his human form, Sakura slowly approached him, unaware if there would be any side affects to the cure. The man sat up and shook his head. Then to the medic-nin's astonishment, he smiled. "It's gone, the voice is gone! What did you do?" Jugo was practically dancing with excitement.

Sakura placed a hand on his shoulder, trying to get him to concentrate on what she was about to say, "Our village has been working for some time to develop a vaccine for the curse seal created by Orochimaru. Since the seal originated with you, we figured it would work for you as well."

Overjoyed, Jugo grabbed Sakura and pulled her into an inescapable bear hug. "Thank you. You don't understand how long this curse has afflicted me. How long that voice has told me to kill everyone around me. You don't understand the burden that has finally been lifted from me." He squeezed tighter, displaying how grateful he truly was.

Pulling herself out of the crushing embrace, she continued, "Please listen, this is important. I do not believe this will be a permanent cure."

"What? Why not?" he asked pleadingly.

"Because, The virus is in your very DNA. You couldn't get rid of it anymore than you could change your natural hair color to blue." she answered.

"Well what will I do? I don't want to be that beast anymore." His eyebrows raised, "I know! I'll find Sasuke, he'll know what to do. He will stop me from changing again-"

"Jugo." Sakura interrupted, "Sasuke cannot help you. Part of you is dark, but not all of you. Only you can hold back the evil inside of you."

"But Kimimaru and Sasuke are my guard and my shield; they protect me." the broken man said.

"No, Jugo. They brought out the best in you; the good in you. That is how you held the curse back." She said stoically. "You have always had the strength to be who you want to be and to make your own choices. So what will you choose, Jugo?"

He looked into her eyes, and saw the confidence she had in him. He wished he had as much in himself. Could he really hold himself back? "I will try..." he offered.

Sakura smiled, "You will. I believe in you." She stood and offered her hand to help him to his feet. He accepted and together they stood for a moment.

He spoke again, with desperation in his voice, "Please, you must do something for me. I beg you, tell everyone I was killed. For so long I've been a tool for one villain or another. I just want to live my life in the forest and speak to the animals and try to forget the horrors of my past. Please, will you do this for me?"

Jugo held Sakura's shoulders as his pleading eyes stared into her green orbs. She couldn't help but feel sorry for the man before her. "Of course I will, but please, can you tell me anything of the Akatsuki's plans before you go?"

Sighing deeply with relief, Jugo released the medic-nin. "As I said, I'm just a tool. Therefore I am not included in most of their planning." Sakura slumped in disappointment. "However, I can tell you that Sasuke is in the village and he is hunting the Nine-tails jinchuriki. I am sorry, but that is all I know. My role was to distract you from his goal."

Sakura nearly fell over from shock after hearing this. Sasuke is here? Hunting Naruto? Jugo left with a parting word, "I'm sorry for attacking your friend. I wish you luck against my former comrades. Goodbye."

Remembering the giant explosion she saw from the hospital, she knew she was already too late. Sasuke had already found Naruto. That had to be the cause of the blast. Recalling the location of the violent flash, she shook off her exhaustion and ran quickly in that direction, desperately hoping that she wasn't too late to help in the battle.

Breathing hard, Naruto stumbled to where Sasuke lay on the ground, unmoving. He had put everything he had in that last Rasen-Shuriken. From what he saw, it had successfully defeated Susano'o and had knocked the Uchiha unconscious. As Naruto approached, he pulled some chakra ropes from his pack so that his old friend couldn't do anything funny when he woke up. When Naruto was within reach of Sasuke, the Uchiha disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving a log in his place. Cursing himself for his foolishness, Naruto eyes scanned the nearby area. He pulled out a kunai, knowing he was too exhausted to do anything with it, but it made him feel safer anyway.

Sasuke waited in the bushes about 15 feet to the left of his old rival. When Naruto turned to the right, The Uchiha leapt from his hiding spot and focused some chakra in his right hand, forming a Chidori. Hearing the chirping sound, Naruto instantly knew what was causing it and turned around in a defensive position. He was too late. Before he could fully dodge the blow, Sasuke had thrust his arm directly through his chest, below his heart. Smirking at how similar this was to their fight at the valley of the end, the Uchiha said, "You are only postponing the inevitable, Naruto. My eyes can see the future, and they see your death." Sasuke opened his eyes wider, focusing his last reserves of chakra into his eyes, revealing his eternal Mangekyou Sharingan. Unable to look away in time, the blonde fell victim to the genjutsu.

When Naruto awoke, he found himself strapped to a cross, overlooking a field of red. Sasuke stood casually beneath him and without hesitating, stabbed Naruto in the stomach. The blonde cried out in pain as the Uchiha twisted his blade, causing even more agony for the blonde. "That was very smart of you to use my Amaterasu to enhance your Rasen-Shuriken. I never would have thought that you could have defeated my Susano'o." Sasuke remembered how Susano'o's arm had shattered upon the impact of Naruto's technique. The black flames had spread all over the monster's body, eating at Sasuke's chakra supplies. The Uchiha had no choice but to relinquish the technique. He had issued a pained scream to fool Naruto into believing he was injured from the powerful jutsu. While feigning unconsciousness, Sasuke had focused his remaining chakra into his eyes to use his sharingan against his old rival.

Naruto was sweating as he recovered from the throbbing in his abdomen, "Damn you, Sasuke. How many people must die before your thirst for revenge is quenched?"

Sasuke merely smirked, "Simple; everyone who crosses my path. I acknowledge that you are strong, Naruto. Do you know why you are strong? It is because you have suffered greatly, as I have. Strength only comes through suffering. That is what I have learned." Naruto looked at Sasuke sadly. He was one of the first people to recognize his strength.

_Flashback (manga 66 – Konoha Village: Am I Strong?)_

_Sasuke flinched as his newly acquired curse mark throbbed with pain. Noticing his suffering, Sakura tried to convince him to drop out of the preliminaries, saying he was in no condition to continue. Unwilling to listen to her concerns, Sasuke silenced her quickly before she could tell any of the observers. "Sakura, I have told you before, I am an avenger. This isn't just a test to me. I don't care about Chuunin or whatever. 'Am I strong?' I just want the answer to that."_

_Sasuke looked around at those remaining in the exams. Gaara, Rock Lee, Neji Hyuuga, Naruto, and several others. "To just fight strong guys here, and they are here. I can't forgive even you if you take that away from me."_

_Naruto got furious at the way the Uchiha was speaking to Sakura and exploded. "You bastard! Stop acting all cool! Idiot! Sakura is just worried and-"_

"_Naruto," Sasuke interrupted, he stared at his teammate with a gleam in his eye. "I also want to fight you."_

_End Flashback_

Sasuke continued, "When we train, we break and tear our muscles and crack our bones so that when they repair, they will be stronger than before. It is how every ninja becomes stronger. Likewise, through emotional suffering, people grow stronger."

"I will be the cause of their suffering. I will make the world stronger by removing the weak. And I will rebuild the Uchiha in the ashes of their old home of Konoha." As Sasuke finished, he again stabbed Naruto, who screamed in pain.

Naruto was panting hard, with blood dripping from his mouth. "You are wrong, teme. My strength doesn't come from my suffering. It comes from those who believe in me." Naruto said as he coughed up more blood. He thought of all of those in the village who acknowledged his strength. He could picture their faces in his mind and it encouraged him. "Just as people run faster when scared, or become stronger when their adrenaline is pumping, people become stronger when they fight to protect those they care for." Naruto stared hard at his former friend, "You should know this to be true, Sasuke. How else would you have helped me defeat Haku back when we were Genin?"

_Flashback (manga 27 – The Great Naruto Bridge: Haku Battle)_

_After Naruto came to "save the day," they were swiftly overcome by the speed of Haku's senbon attacks. He could nearly instantly transport himself from mirror to mirror and launch his senbon at nearly every angle. Though they were blocking or evading a majority of strikes, several had gotten through and caused scratches and gouges and punctures all along their bodies. After that last salvo, Naruto had passed out from the pain. With only a weary and sore Sasuke able to fight, things were not looking good._

_Sasuke was beginning to get the hang of Haku's strike pattern. Instead of seeing nothing, he now saw a brief blur in its place. After a few more chances to observe his opponent, the Uchiha was sure that he could figure out how to counter Haku's technique. But could he survive a few more waves of those vicious senbon attacks? And even if he could, what about Naruto? He couldn't defend himself in his current condition. Somehow, Sasuke needed to end this quickly so that neither of them died to this masked shinobi._

_When he least expected it, Haku unleashed his senbon. As quick as he could, Sasuke dashed toward Naruto and pushed him out of the way. His vision was improving. The Uchiha could see Haku jump from the mirror that time. Obviously learning from his mistake, Haku prepared to aim his next blow at the unconscious Naruto with all of the speed he could muster. 'No!' thought Sasuke. He sprinted as fast as he could to reach the blonde before his opponent did._

_Naruto awoke a few moments later to find Haku lying on the floor a few feet away struggling to get to his feet. Gathering his wits, the blonde saw Sasuke standing in front of him. "Geez, All you ever do is get in the way." the Uchiha said with difficulty._

_Thrilled that Sasuke was ok, Naruto said, "Sasuke! You..." Finally getting a good look at his friend, he realized that Sasuke was not alright at all. The Uchiha was covered with senbon, several of which Naruto could tell were piercing his internal organs. Others looked deep enough to be nicking the bone._

"_What's with that face you moron?" Sasuke said as he looked back with a smirk._

"_Why? You saved me!" said Naruto as he finally found his voice._

_Sasuke shrugged heavily, "How should I know? I hated you."_

"_But why? I never asked for your help!" Naruto shouted._

_The Uchiha coughed up blood as he responded, "I don't know. My body just moved on its own, idiot." With that he collapsed. "That man, my brother, I told myself I wouldn't die until I killed him. Don't die also." Sasuke shut his eyes and stopped responding._

_Naruto held his friend, shaking him slightly to wake him up. Tears were filling his eyes as it slowly dawned on him what had happened. From behind him, Haku spoke as he returned to his feet, "He landed a blow on me and without flinching, died to protect you. To protect a precious person, knowing it was a trap, he was still able to jump in. He is a shinobi that deserves respect."_

_After that, Naruto began to burst from the inside with a dark, evil chakra, and remembered no more._

_End Flashback_

"I was naive then. I have seen that the strength to protect my friends was not enough to defeat Orochimaru, nor my brother, Itachi. Only my hatred allowed me to succeed where love and friendship failed." said Sasuke.

A deep voice came from a location that neither ninja could locate. "I'm disappointed in you, Sasuke. I thought I taught you better than that." Naruto began to look sick, and opened his mouth wide as a crow flew out and landed between the two rivals. Sasuke stood speechless as the crow transformed into his older brother, Itachi.

Author's Note: Oh God! What's going to happen next! Tune in next time! And please review!

Thanks again!

narp73


	14. Chapter 14 - Itachi's Final Words

Author's Note: My story has now surpassed 50,000 words! I consider this a marvelous achievement for me. Thank you all for sticking with me this far, I am roughly ¾ done with the story, so I hope u all stick through to the end. Please review and tell me what you think. As always, thanks to me reviewer Dinesh for helping me with the chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

Chapter 14 – Itachi's Final Words

Naruto was amazed at this latest development. He would have fallen over if he wasn't still strapped to a cross in Sasuke's genjutsu. The blonde remembered his strange fight with Itachi in the forest as he was chasing Sasuke.

_Flashback (manga 366 – Itachi's Gift)_

_Naruto had just come face to face with Itachi in the forest as he searched for Sasuke, knowing he was close by. Lessons taught to him by Kakashi swam through his mind; When you're one-on-one against the sharingan, your only hope is to escape. If it is two-on-one, you attack from behind._

_Observing that Naruto was avoiding direct eye contact, Itachi said, "I see you've learned a little about fighting the sharingan. You must know what to do when you're alone. Why aren't you running?"_

"_Because, with me, my numbers can be anywhere from one to one thousand!" the blonde replied. "And I can't afford to run this time. I've gotta capture you so I can find Sasuke!"_

_Itachi was interested by his answer, but did well not to show it. "What is it about my brother that makes you care about him so much? He's a rogue ninja who abandoned you."_

_Naruto scowled at the Uchiha, "Because he's like a brother to me. And I'm a better brother than you ever were!" Before he had finished speaking, Naruto dashed at Itachi, hoping to catch him off guard. The Uchiha swung open his cloak and several crows shot from its shadow towards the blonde ninja. Realizing his mistake, Naruto halted._

"_You are already in my illusion." said the cloaked figure. The scenery switched to black and red, with crows flying all around the blonde shinobi. "I'll say it once more; I only wish to talk with you. You want to bring Sasuke home. But what will you do if he refuses to come?"_

"_Whatever it takes, that's what!" Naruto replied, unintimidated by his poor position._

"_Whatever it takes; assuming Sasuke could simply return to the village peacefully, that would work. But what if he were in the opposite situation?" Itachi questioned._

_Confused, Naruto asked, "What do you mean?"_

"_You just said Sasuke is like a brother to you. I'm asking what you'd do if your 'brother' attacked the Leaf." The Uchiha stared intently at the blonde, awaiting his answer._

"_Huh? Why would Sasuke-He'd never do anything like that!" Naruto shouted defiantly._

"_Sasuke's heart is still a blank canvas. The right person could paint it whatever color he wanted. And if that happened, would you be able to stop him?" Itachi paused dramatically before he said, "Even if it meant killing him? Can you choose between Sasuke and the Leaf?"_

"_Stunned by what Itachi was saying, Naruto said, "I'd protect the village, and stop Sasuke without killing him!" Nothing less would suffice. The village was his home. He had to protect it. And Sasuke was his best friend. No matter what, he had to get him back. He had to keep his promise to Sakura._

_Itachi shook his head in disappointment. "You're still acting like a child. You're living in a fantasy world." The Uchiha's voice filled with authority. "You need to come to terms with the fact that you, as a shinobi, will be forced to make impossible decisions like this."_

_Naruto's mind went back to when Jiraiya said basically the same thing to him several years ago. Back then, Naruto had said that if being smart meant giving up on Sasuke, then he would rather live the rest of his life as an idiot. His feelings hadn't changed over the years. "Someone else told me the same thing once. But I've already made my choice." the blonde ninja clenched his fists tightly. "I don't go back on my word. That's my ninja way."_

_Itachi smiled inwardly. Who would have thought that this boy would have such devotion toward his little brother?The Uchiha knew that he didn't have the heart to kill Sasuke. However, he also doubted he had the ability to change his mind. It was far too late for that for him. Itachi also had made his choice long ago. In case he failed, he would put in faith in Naruto to knock some sense into the young Uchiha._

_One of the hovering crows descended and flew directly into Naruto's mouth where he was absorbed. "I've transferred some of my power to you. I hope you never have to use it." Itachi released his genjutsu and departed for his long awaited confrontation with Sasuke._

_End Flashback_

Sasuke grew rigid as he stared unbelievingly at his dead brother. "How are you here? I killed you."

Itachi looked at Sasuke sadly, "One lesson that our father taught me that I will never forget; to always have a backup plan. I feared that you hatred would not end with me. So I sought someone who was close to you who might be able to reach you should I fail." He smirked lightly, "Tales of your old bond were not hard to come by with young Naruto shouting to save you so often."

"He means nothing to me." The young Uchiha said defiantly.

"Indeed? Then why are you so eager to kill him?" Sasuke had no reply for his brother. "Before our battle, I gave Naruto some of my chakra so that when you defeated me, I would be able to see you one last time. When you activated your Mangekyo Sharingan on Naruto, you also activated the seal on my hidden chakra." The older Uchiha scanned his younger brother closely, "You've grown cold, Sasuke. Why are you so cold?"

Sasuke stared at his brother, revealing his eternal sharingan. "I am only what you made me to be, brother." He spoke with venom in his voice.

"I see." Itachi said sadly, "You even took my eyes in your quest for power. My death was supposed to bring you happiness at last, not a further thirst for revenge." Both of their thoughts drifted to that epic battle long ago.

_Flashback (manga 384 – Uchiha Complex: Itachi vs. Sasuke)_

_What began as a doujutsu battle became a full scale fight. Sasuke had proven that he would no longer fall victim to genjutsu. After several exchanges within the Uchiha complex, the battle had moved to the roof. Sasuke was overpowering his brother in a fire jutsu tug of war until Itachi activated his Amaterasu. The black flames quickly devoured the younger Uchiha's fire jutsu and continued to chase him as he did his best to outrun the flames. Unfortunately, the flames were faster. They fed on his flesh and he screamed in pain. Itachi put out the flames and walked up to his brother's corpse. Suddenly, the roof exploded as a fire dragon jutsu burst through, forcing Itachi to leap away to avoid the deadly attack. Sasuke was revealed to be alive and well, if exhausted in the Uchiha complex._

_Sasuke had used all of his remaining chakra using Orochimaru's replacement technique to escape Amaterasu's deadly fire and blast the roof open with his own fire jutsu. He had no choice but to rely on this last jutsu to finish this. He leaped up onto the roof and observed the thunderclouds forming overhead. Sasuke smirked. It was working. Lightning was forming naturally; he wouldn't need to waste chakra forming it. All he had to do was guide it to its final destination. He raised his hand and guided the massive bolt of lightning directly at his older brother. The resulting explosion was enormous. Sasuke couldn't see through the flash that erupted where Itachi was standing moments earlier. The crater covered half of the Uchiha complex._

_When the dust settled, There Itachi stood, with his ultimate technique activated; Susano'o. The skeletal form hovering over the older Uchiha expanded, growing tendons, muscles, and eventually a sword and a shield with armor. Sasuke was trying to forcibly draw out more chakra even though he had none left. Because of this, he was unable to continue to contain Orochimaru's power within him. White snakes began pouring from the curse mark on his shoulder, forming a giant hydra. The hydra instantly began assaulting the Susano'o with its numerous heads. After several of the snakes were decapitated, Orochimaru formed inside the mouth of one of the heads, laughing at Itachi's feeble attempts to kill him. Suddenly, Orochimaru was run through by Susano'o's sword, which slowly began to absorb the snake-nin. Realizing what was occurring, Orochimaru screamed in outrage and was eventually fully sealed. He would haunt Sasuke no more._

_Itachi began to slowly stumble towards his brother, knowing he had pushed his chakra too far. Sasuke, fearful for his life at the older Uchiha's terrifying jutsu, began retreating until he came to a wall. There was nowhere else to run. Even if there was, he was too exhausted to be able to run at all. Itachi approached with his hand reaching for Sasuke's face. The younger Uchiha was frozen in fear, knowing that he had lost; that all of his life's training and hunting down his brother was all for naught. Itachi was now within reach of Sasuke. Lifting his hand, he poked Sasuke in the forehead as he said, "Sorry, Sasuke. There won't be a next time." With a smile on his face, Itachi fell to the ground, dead._

_End Flashback_

Sasuke clenched his fists in anger. Usually he was skilled at keeping a passive, uncaring disposition. But every time he saw or thought of his brother, rage overpowered everything else in his mind. Even if he had to kill him again, Sasuke would remove Itachi from all existence; even in his own mind. The young Uchiha charged his brother, katana sliding smoothly from it's sheathe into his able hands. Before anyone could blink, Itachi had been run through. He dispersed into a flock of crows and reassembled right beside where he originally stood. "You know that won't work, little brother."

"Don't call me that. You have no right to call me that." Sasuke snarled through gritted teeth.

"Why not, brother? Do we no longer share blood because of what I have done?" Itachi said sarcastically.

Sasuke sheathed his blade swiftly as he calmed himself and stood silent for a long while. "I know the truth now, Itachi. Madara told me as I recovered from our fight."

"I see. Then my Amaterasu I implanted in your eye failed to kill him. It seems I have failed yet again." Itachi moved closer to Sasuke and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You know only what Madara has told you, and that is rarely the truth; or rather, rarely the whole truth. Allow me to tell you myself why I made the choices I did."

Sasuke shrugged Itachi's hand off of his shoulder, but otherwise did nothing. Taking this as a sign that he was listening, the older Uchiha continued his tale. "As you surely know, the Uchiha clan was intending to revolt against the leaders of Konoha and take control of the village themselves. Our father was one of the leaders of this movement and had me join ANBU so that he would have someone on the inside to spy for the Uchiha uprising."

Itachi spoke with a monotone voice, as if he were giving a report on what had occurred instead of having experienced it himself. "So as not to dishonor our clan, I did as my father asked. However, I knew that what he was planning was wrong. I told the Third of the Uchiha's plans." For the first time, emotion crept into Itachi's voice as his mind wandered in the past. "It was the second most difficult decision I have ever had to make; clan or village."

He paused before continuing. "The Hokage ordered me to in turn spy on my family to learn as much as I could about their plans including when they would strike. I confronted our father and tested the waters to determine his conviction that a rebellion was the best course of action for the Uchiha." A small smirk came to Itachi's lips. "I can still hear our father tell me that I was too young to understand such things. In hindsight, I think he was too old and set in his ways to truly understand what he was trying to do."

Itachi sighed, "I gave up on our father changing his mind on the issue, so I confided in a friend, Shisui Uchiha. I told him of how I had approached the Third and how he had asked me to play the role of spy. As I recounted all this to him, Shisui was impaled from behind; by Danzo." Sasuke's eyes rose at this. He was surprised that the elder had been involved with his family for so long. "Yes, if there is anything we have in common, dear brother, it is our hatred of that man. Danzo told me that no one must know about revealing the Uchiha's plans to the Hokage. Still in disbelief that my best friend had died, I returned home." Itachi's words became drenched in venom, "It was only later that I found out that Danzo had stolen Shisui's eyes, as well as those from several other supposedly missing Uchiha."

"I killed him." It was all Sasuke could think to say.

A surprised look briefly crossed Itachi's face. "Did you? I am proud of you for slaying him, Sasuke. You must have grown very strong to have done so. He has caused the Uchiha more pain than anyone." The older Uchiha smiled at his younger brother who was still stunned to hear of Danzo's involvement in the destruction of the Uchiha clan.

Itachi's eyes became dark and cold once more, "I met with Danzo only once more; on the fateful night when I was ordered to destroy the Uchiha clan. We met on the roof of the Hokage Tower. After telling him that I wasn't powerful enough to kill everyone even if I wanted to, Danzo told me he knew of someone who would be willing to aid me. That was when I first met Madara Uchiha." Itachi's story picked up pace as he was no longer able to hide the emotions from his voice. "I had of course heard the legend of the ancient Uchiha, but to see him in person was breathtaking. Together, they convinced me that for the good of the village, the Uchiha clan had to be removed." Itachi had said 'removed' as if he was talking about a tree that had fallen in a path that needed to be removed before travelers could continue.

"And so, Madara and I slaughtered every last Uchiha, except you. You were my brother and I couldn't kill you, nor would I allow Madara to do so. Apparently, sensing a use for you in the future, he was willing to let you live as long as I agreed to serve him. This was the most difficult decision of my life; your life in exchange for serving Madara." Itachi was silent for a while as he thought of all of the horrible things he had done in service to Madara to ensure Sasuke's safety.

"So then, what was I to do with my little brother?" Itachi questioned rhetorically. "Knowing that there would be no one there to guide and tutor you. How was I to ensure you would grow to become a strong ninja and give honor to the Uchiha name?"

_Flashback (manga 225 – Konoha Village: The Uchiha Fall)_

_Sprinting as fast as his short legs would allow, young Sasuke was running home from the training grounds, attempting to beat the curfew that his father had issued. 'He expects me to become stronger like Itachi, but he won't let me stay out and train.' he thought. Once he reached the area of the village where his clan resided, he slowed his pace so he could catch his breath. After all, it wouldn't do for an Uchiha to stumble home, looking exhausted. Especially not the son of __Fugaku, leader of the military police._

_He slowed to a casual, yet brisk walk, taking in his surroundings as his brother, Itachi, had taught him. It seemed quiet. That wasn't too surprising, considering the time, but this seemed more ominous. This silence reminded him of how a forest went silent when large predators took down their prey, as if in mournfulness. Alert now, Sasuke noticed the hairs on the back of his neck rise; a subconscious realization that something was very wrong. He rounded the corner a block from his house. His jaw dropped in astonishment. People were lying in the middle of the street with pools of blood leaking from beneath them. Sasuke instantly knew that they were all dead based on their lack of movement and how pale they all were. However, he could also tell that they had died very recently; within an hour or so from how fresh the blood on the ground was._

_Knowing it was too late for his neighbors and friends, he rushed home, hoping he wasn't too late to warn them. He burst into his house, screaming for his family, forgoing all of his training regarding stealth and silence. All of the shinobi code that he had painstakingly memorized was flying through his head. When a mission failure is certain, the top priority is for one member to survive to bring any and all intelligence to the village. But Sasuke couldn't run now. What if his family needed him? How could he just abandon them? When approaching an enemy, always approach in an unexpected manner. Never __attack head on. The young Uchiha didn't have time to sit and come up with a plan. He had to find his mom, dad, and brother now before they were slaughtered like those in the street._

_Finally, Sasuke opened the door to his parent's bedroom, seeing their still bleeding corpses lying on the floor with a man standing in the shadows behind them, returning his katana to its sheath. He looked up to the man and realized he had his sharingan activated. Sasuke would recognize that particular sharingan anywhere. "Brother! Father and mother are...Why? Why!? Who the hell did this!?"_

"_Foolish brother." Itachi said as he activated his Mangekyou Sharingan. _

_Sasuke fell from the overload of bizarre information. His parents were dead. His beloved brother Itachi killed them. "Why...did you-"_

"_It was to measure my capacity." The older Uchiha interrupted._

_Sasuke began pushing himself back to his feet. "To test your capacity? That's the only reason? You killed everyone for that?"_

"_It was essential." Itachi said stoically._

"_What? That's complete crap!" The younger Uchiha leaped at his brother with his fist cocked back. Faster than he could have imagined, Itachi practically teleported directly in front of him and punched him hard in the gut, forcing him to cough up blood. Unable to breathe, Sasuke remained on his knees gasping._

_Itachi knelt before his little brother, "If you want to kill me, curse me! Hate me! And live a long and unsightly life. Run away. Run away and cling to your pitiful life." The older Uchiha stood up and began walking away. After walking a couple of feet, he stopped, and looked back at Sasuke with his Mangekyou Sharingan activated. "And some day, when you have the same 'eyes' as me, come before me."_

_End Flashback_

Sasuke felt like he was beginning to see a whole picture when before he had only pieces of the whole. The story that Madara had told him, while technically true, had many significant gaps that altered the perceptions. The young Uchiha felt ashamed that he had taken so much that Madara had said on faith instead of discovering more on his own. How could he be so gullible? He knew that he had no reason to trust the masked Uchiha. Itachi's story made Sasuke feel sorry for his older brother. He had been left with a terrible choice with either outcome ending in many deaths. Sasuke was not sure what he would have done given the same situation.

Sasuke spoke for the second time since Itachi began his tale, "Why didn't you take me with you then, since you knew I would be alone?"

Itachi looked down into Sasuke's eyes, noticing that they looked less cold than before. "You know as well as I do that Madara would have twisted your mind until you were his slave, as you have become now. I was trying to protect you from that fate." It was Itachi's worst regret that in the end, Madara had still turned Sasuke into his own little puppet.

Sasuke remembered word for word what Itachi had told him the day his clan was killed. They were words he would remember for the rest of his life. "I have never forgotten that night, Itachi. I have spent my entire life devoted to one purpose and one goal."

_Flashback (manga 04 – Konoha Village: Sasuke's Dream)_

_For their first Team 7 meeting, Kakashi had everyone introduce themselves and give some basic information such as likes and dislikes, hobbies, and their dreams. Kakashi began, at the student's request, expertly avoiding all of the key questions and only providing his name, much to their dismay. Next was Naruto. Every third word out of his mouth was ramen. How he loved it, especially when he didn't have to buy it, and how he hated when it took too long to warm up in the microwave. Jumping to his feet, he grabbed his head plate proudly and shouted "And my dream is to become Hokage and then have all the people of this village acknowledge my existence!"_

_Next was Sasuke. He remained seated calmly with his elbows on his knees and his chin resting lightly on his intertwined hands. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke. There are tons of things I dislike, but I don't really like anything. And I don't want to use the word dream, but I have an ambition. The resurrection of my clan..." He paused, his face clouding over with anger. "And to kill a certain man."_

_End Flashback_

The usually passive Sasuke was showing every emotion he was feeling on his face; frustration, anger, confusion, hopefulness, and more. "Now that my goal is complete, I don't know what I should do. I thought that killing you would make the world right, but now it is just more complicated than before. I still have so much hate. I don't believe I can be rid of it so easily."

For the first time, Itachi's eyes softened towards his little brother. "Sasuke, I don't have much more time. The last of my chakra is being used to allow me to see you again. We will never have this chance again. There are a few more things I must tell you before I go."

The older Uchiha placed his hands on Sasuke's shoulders to ensure he had his full attention. "First of all, as I'm sure you have by now guessed, do not trust Madara. He has his own goals, none of which are to your benefit. He must be stopped. I do not believe you are strong enough to kill him, but someday, I hope you might complete the mission that I could not."

Sasuke had stopped shaking from his emotions and stood motionless as Itachi spoke to him. He looked downward, refusing to look his brother in the eye, fearing the disappointment he would see in them. "Then I will train relentlessly until I am strong enough, or until I die trying."

Itachi smiled, "You've already agreed to kill for me, don't agree to die for me as well. Secondly, I believe that the Leaf village should continue to be the home of the Uchiha. Please protect it, as I did." The older Uchiha looked to Naruto, still strapped to a cross. "You still have friends there, Sasuke. You have people who are committed to you regardless of your previous actions. Treasure them and defend them with your life. That is worth dying for, not revenge."

Sasuke also looked to Naruto. Too many thoughts were jumbled in his mind. He needed to get away and think over all that his brother had told him. He still harbored his hate, and still had a desire to punish the village for their actions. Sensing his uneasiness, Itachi said, "Let it go, Sasuke. There were four people responsible for the destruction of our clan; the Third, Danzo, myself, and Madara. Three of us are dead. Don't punish the village for what they don't know and couldn't understand."

Knowing his time was nearing its end, Itachi reached up poked his little brother between the eyes, just as he always did when they were younger. "One last thing, Sasuke. I know the question that haunts you."

_Flashback (manga 66 – Konoha Village: The Chuunin Exam)_

"_Am I strong, I just want to know the answer to that question."_

_End Flashback_

Itachi smiled as he continued, "You are strong now, Sasuke. In my own way, I have done the best I could for you. I gave you your motivation to become strong, I removed Orochimaru's curse from you, and now I have even given you your sight back. You now see through my eyes, little brother. Use them well." Itachi smirked at his brother one last time, then faded into a flock of crows that flew away, never to be seen again.

Author's Note: I got the idea for Itachi's return from when Minato visited Naruto during the battle of Pein. Itachi is one of my fave's, so I hope you enjoyed his visit! Please don't forget to review!

narp73


	15. Chapter 15 - Konoha's Blossom

Author's Note: Chapter 15 is up! I worked hard on this chapter, so please review and tell me what you think. Again, thanks to Dinesh for helping me with the chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 15 – Konoha's Blossom

Sasuke released Naruto from his doujutsu. The blonde ninja was unconscious from a combination of a lack of chakra, blood loss from the gaping hole in his chest, and mental agony that he experienced during the genjutsu. The Uchiha's mind was flooded with memories of himself and Itachi as kids; about the Uchiha massacre; their epic battle; and their latest and last discussion. Sasuke didn't know if he should hate or love his brother for leaving him alone and killing his whole family, yet protecting him and the village as he did so.

One thing he knew for sure, he would not act rashly. He had jumped to conclusions too many times of late. He had assumed like everyone else that his brother was a traitor and therefore decided to become an avenger and had killed Itachi. Then he had assumed Madara's tale to be one hundred percent accurate and decided that the Leaf needed to pay for how they treated him and his brother.

This time he would take his time and analyze all that he knew to be true and had heard from others and make a decision he could be certain of. Sasuke knew that he couldn't do that under the influence of Madara. He had to disappear for a while if he was to think this through properly. Sasuke pondered what to do about Naruto. In his current condition, even with his advanced healing due to the kyuubi, it was unlikely he would survive his injuries. As he considered his options, he felt a familiar chakra signature approaching. The Uchiha smirked, 'That solves that problem.' he thought.

Sakura emerged from the clearing in time to see Sasuke standing over the unmoving body of Naruto. Fearing the worst, she screamed, "What have you done!?" A surge of fury shot through the young kunoichi. How dare he attack her village, her best friend, her-what exactly was he to her anyway? Feeling the urge to break something, Sakura dashed towards Sasuke, fully intending to show the bastard just how much stronger she had become. The Uchiha watched her approach, apparently unconcerned. The kunoichi filled her fist with chakra and swung with all her might at her old teammate. Surprisingly, she passed straight through Sasuke's clone and flew out the other side, shattering a boulder into a thousand tiny pebbles with her strike.

A hand was placed on her shoulder which she knew belonged to Sasuke. Knowing that she was too late to stop the incoming attack, she slumped her shoulders in defeat. She had failed. She had trained so hard under one of the legendary Sannin so she would no longer be that weak girl who cried in the corner while others fought her battles. Now here she was; unable to protect Naruto, and about to die at the hands of her first love. Tears streamed down her face as she thought of all she had failed to achieve and everyone she failed to protect. She wondered why the fatal blow hadn't landed yet, but she was afraid to turn around and look into his eyes.

"Sakura." Sasuke's voice pierced her thoughts, leaving her unable to do anything but wait and listen to what else he would say. "Take care of him." Sakura couldn't help but compare the moment to when she he had left the village all of those years ago.

_Flashback (manga 181 – Konoha Village: Sakura's confession to Sasuke)_

"_Don't go!" Sakura screamed._

_Sasuke paused without turning around. Sakura spoke again, "If you take one more step, I'll start screaming-" The Uchiha swiftly moved behind the kunoichi._

"_Sakura-chan," Sakura stood speechless; it was the first time he had added the honorific to her name. She stood there, awaiting his next words; they would decide whether her heart would break or soar. "Thank you." He struck her in the neck, rendering her unconscious. Without any further delays, he left the village._

_End Flashback_

Sakura finally gathered her courage and turned around to face her first crush. She saw Naruto's blood still dripping from Sasuke's arm from where he had pierced the blonde with his Chidori. Raising her gaze, she saw that he was not using his sharingan. His eyes seemed puzzled and confused. She didn't know how she knew, but she was certain that something had happened that had caused the Uchiha to question his past decisions.

Her anger was quickly being replaced by her fear for her fallen friend. Sakura shrugged off Sasuke's hand and moved past him to check on Naruto. She splashed through small and large puddles of his blood to get to him. He looked very pale. Sakura saw the large gap in his chest where Sasuke had struck and she nearly cried out.

She had healed Naruto countless times, but this was by far the worst. He had exhausted his chakra supply, was quickly losing blood, and several internal organs were extensively damaged. Hell, she could see the ground through his chest!Beyond that, his mental state was precarious at best; most likely due to a genjutsu that the Uchiha had performed. Switching to her medical mode, Sakura pushed her fear and panic to the back of her mind and set to work on healing Naruto.

Sasuke hadn't moved since Sakura had brushed past him to see to Naruto. He slowly turned around to watch her work. Her medical skills were impressive. Though his mind rarely wondered to such places, he couldn't help but wonder what would have happened if he had remained in the village instead of becoming Orochimaru's apprentice. Perhaps if he hadn't been so selfish in his search for power, he might have completed his other goal of resurrecting his clan with Sakura. But now it was too late for such things. He had made his choice; there was no point in 'what ifs.' What mattered was what choices he made now.

Sakura began by healing his internal organs to repair his stomach, lung, kidney and intestines since they were exposed anyway. Once those were healed, she moved her green chakra covered hand over his external injuries, knitting together the skin over his chest, leg, and several other minor wounds so he was no longer losing blood. Once his circulatory system was restored, the medic-nin moved her hand over his heart to increase blood flow so that oxygen would circulate through his body, keeping his muscle and brain cells from dying.

Finally, when all of his life-threatening physical injuries were mended, she focused on his mental state. Ino, with her mind transfer ability would actually be better suited to deal with this type of injury. It reminded her of Kakashi's state after he had been attacked by Itachi's doujutsu. Sakura suspected that they were similar, if not identical, injuries.

Having done what she could for Naruto, the medic-nin returned her attention to Sasuke. "Why? Why do you keep hurting those of us that still care for you?" she asked.

Sasuke took his time meeting her gaze. "Because I thought you were holding me back."

'Thought? Past tense?' she thought. "And now?" she questioned.

The Uchiha paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "Now I am less certain." Again, he paused, debating on how much to tell the pink haired shinobi. "I have learned many things about myself and my past that were hidden from me. I need time to consider them. Please don't chase me."

Sakura watched him turn to leave her once again. After taking a few steps, he stopped, but didn't turn around. "He loves you, you know." He said.

She looked back at Naruto and smiled softly, "I know."

Turning around completely now, Sasuke asked, "And do you love him?"

"Yes." Her answer had been automatic. She hadn't even intended to say it. For a long time now, she had argued with herself and lost sleep trying to figure out her feelings for the blonde knucklehead. Even when he confessed to her just a few hours ago she hadn't known how much he meant to her. She had asked herself a thousand times whether she liked Naruto as a friend or as something more, and had always come up with a blank. Yet now that Sasuke had asked the question, the answer was obvious.

_Flashback (OC – Sakura and Hinata's discussion a few days ago)_

_Hinata put her arm on Sakura's shoulder and said, "When the time comes, you'll know. Don't worry."_

"_How can you be sure?" asked Sakura._

"_Because, it worked for me." she said, simply._

_End Flashback_

Hinata had been right after all. After searching her heart, there was no doubt anymore. She loved him. Sakura looked again to her old teammate, "We won't chase you this time, Sasuke, I promise. But we still hope you will come back to us."

The Uchiha nodded in thanks, and then vanished, leaving Sakura and Naruto alone. The kunoichi sat beside the blonde, placing his head in her lap. As she stroked his hair, she thought about how her feelings for the knucklehead had changed over the years. Long ago, when they had just graduated from the academy and became Team Seven, she couldn't stand the loud, immature idiot that he was.

_Flashback (manga 003 – Konoha Village: Sakura's Opinion of Naruto)_

_Naruto, henged as Sasuke, sat down next to Sakura on a bench near the training grounds. After a moment of silence that he used to gather his courage, he asked, "Sakura, there's something I want to ask you. What do you think of Naruto?"_

_Sakura's shoulder's tensed, and her fists clenched in anger. "He's always getting in the way of my love and he enjoys seeing me struggle." With a frustrated sigh, she continued, "Naruto doesn't understand anything about me, he's just annoying."_

_End Flashback_

As they became more accustomed to each other as teammates, she began to depend on Naruto and his strength nearly as much as she did on Sasuke's. Their competitiveness caused them to constantly try to beat the other at everything. They raced to be the first to form chakra on their feet to run sideways up a tree, they raced when eating to regain their strength faster than the other, and they constantly ridiculed and belittled one another much to the annoyance of Sakura and Kakashi. Even though they were complete opposites, they made a good team when they weren't bickering at each other.

_Flashback (manga 013-014 – Sasuke and Naruto vs. Zabuza)_

_Remembering his vow to never again get afraid and try to run away, Naruto charged Zabuza head on. From within the water-nin's Water Prison Jutsu, Kakashi yelled at the brash young ninja to run away. Naruto was, of course, no match for the jounin and was kicked hard in the gut, sending him flying back the direction he came from._

"_What are you doing jumping in all by yourself!? We Genin have no chance against him!" Sakura screamed at the blonde. The kunoichi noticed something in his hand as he struggled to his feet. It was his forehead protector._

_With blood dripping from his mouth, Naruto said, "Hey you eyebrowless freak, put this in your handbook; the man who will one day become Hokage." Still hunched over from the pain of his previous injury, Naruto stood at his full height and replaced his forehead protector on his head. "The Leaf Village ninja, Uzumaki Naruto!"_

_Turning back to Sasuke, the blonde said, "Sasuke, lend me your ear! I have a plan."_

_The Uchiha gave Naruto a smug look, "Pft...Teamwork, from you?_

_Watching their exchange, Sakura thought, 'What's this feeling? This is Naruto?'_

_Wiping the blood from his chin, Naruto said, "Now, let's get wild!"_

_Naruto created several clones that all dashed at the water-nin. Attempting to overpower him with sheer numbers, each clone drew a kunai and leaped from a different direction toward the jounin. Zabuza drew his massive sword and swung it in a large arc, easily destroying over half of the clones. The real Naruto was knocked back as well from the blow. As he was sliding along the ground, he pulled a giant shuriken from his pack and hurled it at Sasuke. Catching the weapon with one hand, his eyes widened as he realized the blonde's plan._

_Sasuke threw the giant shuriken with all his might, shouting as he did. "Evil Wind Shiruken, Shadow Windmill!"_

_Zabuza smirked at their childness, "A shuriken won't work against me." The water-nin caught the still spinning weapon, rendering it useless. Nearly laughing in triumph, the jounin saw something from the corner of his eye. Looking closer, Zabuza saw that it was another shuriken. Rather surprised that such young ninja could use the Shadow Shuriken Jutsu, he pondered his options. Both of his hands were occupied; one with the first shuriken, and the other with the Water Prison Jutsu that had captured Kakashi. The water-nin wasn't out of tricks yet. He jumped straight up in the air and over the weapon. "Sill not enough." the jounin said confidently._

_In the distance, Sasuke smirked, knowing it wasn't over yet. The second shuriken that Zabuza dodged disappeared in a puff of smoke, revealing Naruto, holding a kunai in his hand. The blonde launched his kunai at the water-nin._

_With both hands still occupied, and another attack on the way, the jounin was in trouble. The only way to dodge the incoming blow was to release his Water Prison Jutsu. Furious at being outsmarted by a mere Genin, Zabuza dashed toward Naruto who was still falling toward the water, unable to react._

"_Damn brat!" As he reached the boy, Zabuza struck with the first shuriken that he had caught, only for it to be blocked by a pissed off Kakashi._

_End Flashback_

Then, when Sasuke left the village, Sakura relied on Naruto more than ever; not only for his strength, but for his comfort and sense of humor as well. No matter how bad she felt, she always felt better when Naruto was around. His simplistic mind, though occasionally aggravating, helped her take joy in the small things. Even though shinobi and friends were constantly in danger on missions and occasionally dying, the blonde could take joy in something as simple as a bowl of ramen.

Sasuke's words on the night of her confession to him and his actions in leaving the village for good had wounded Sakura to her core. Naruto's determination to bring their teammate back no matter what gave her the confidence she needed to ask Tsunade to take her on as her apprentice and to stand on her own two feet instead of depending on others to protect and defend her.

_Flashback (manga 236 – Konoha Hospital: Sakura's Commitment)_

_While standing outside of Naruto's hospital room, Sakura overheard him and Shikamaru talk about how Sasuke had gotten away, even after all of the effort they had put into the rescue mission. The kunoichi entered the room and saw the blonde all wrapped up in bandages and looking worse for wear. Naruto turned towards the door and his eyes brightened as he recognized her. Almost as quickly, his eyes drooped and looked away from her in shame. "I'm sorry, Sakura-chan."_

_Sakura knew what he meant, but she pretended not to. She was still getting over the fact that Sasuke was really gone. Putting on a fake smile, she said, "Why are you apologizing?" Naruto still wouldn't look at her directly. The pink haired ninja walked to the curtains and opened them wide, looking for anything to do other than focus on the blonde. "You look really weird! You're just like a mummy aren't you?"_

"_I'm sorry, I-"_

"_Listen, the weather's good today." Sakura interrupted. She couldn't stand the sadness in his voice. "I opened the curtains now-"_

_Naruto interrupted her as well, desperate to explain his failure. "Sakura-chan! I'll definitely keep my promise! I said that it was a lifelong promise!"_

_Still staring out the hospital's window, Sakura said, "It's alright, Naruto."_

_Shikamaru, listening to the exchange thus far, couldn't help but speak up. "Sakura! He's trying to-"_

"_Like I said, I won't go back on my word! Because that's my ninja way." Naruto sounded much more optimistic now, but Sakura could tell he was still suffering inside and was just trying to comfort her._

_Sakura thought of the promise she had asked of Naruto and the pain he had gone through to try and complete it. She thought of the complete trust she had in the blonde and in his promise to her. She knew he really would do whatever it took to bring Sasuke back, for her. Most importantly, she thought of how she had again just stood on the side line and expected others to fight for her. She stood from the windowsill and headed towards the exit, determinedly. When she reached the door, she stopped, and looked back to her teammate. "I'm sorry, Naruto, I had to make you wait a while. But next time, we'll do it together!"_

_Immediately afterward, she headed to the Hokage's office to beg Tsunade to let Sakura become her apprentice._

_End Flashback_

Shortly after that, Naruto had left with the Toad Sannin to train for three whole years. Those had been the dullest years of her life. She hadn't appreciated how much time she had spent with the idiot until she realized how much free time she had now that he was gone. Granted, Tsunade was training her to the bone, but after her sessions with the Hokage, she had little to do without the knucklehead around. Sakura had grown strong in those years, though. She looked forward to showing Naruto that she had kept her promise and how much she had improved. The day he had returned, Sakura had at first been overjoyed.

_Flashback (manga – Konoha Village: Naruto's Return)_

"_Sakura-chan?" a voice asked behind her._

_The medic-nin turned around to see Naruto for the first time in nearly three years. "Naruto!?" She ran up to him, excited to finally be able to show the knucklehead how much he had improved over the years. Wanting his opinion of her in more than just her abilities, Sakura asked shyly, "How do I look? Do I look more like a woman now?"_

_Naruto smiled the biggest smile she had seen in a long time. "You look fine! You haven't changed at all!"_

_Though not exactly what she was looking for, it was exactly something he would say. Somewhat thrilled to see that his personality hadn't changed, she took a closer look at her teammate. His face had become more angular than she remembered. His uniform too had changed since their younger years. He now wore more black than orange compared to his nearly all orange jacket. Most surprising was that she had to look up to see his face. "You've grown taller than me?!"_

_Apparently just now noticing, Naruto was moving his hand back and forth between their heads to confirm her findings. While he was distracted, Sakura couldn't help but wonder how much stronger he had gotten by training with the Toad Sannin. 'Hmm, Naruto. You've really become strong since I last saw you.' she thought._

_End Flashback_

It felt great to be on team with Naruto again. They had defeated Kakashi together (although their method was a little unorthodox) and had shown the Hokage how much they had improved in both skill and teamwork. Even after three years apart, their teamwork hadn't missed a beat.

Almost a year later, Naruto's master, Jiraiya, had died trying to learn what he could of Pain; one of the leaders of Akatsuki. Naruto had sunk into the worst depression that Sakura had ever seen him in. She had felt terrible that she couldn't help ease his pain. She had wanted to comfort him, but she didn't know how. Naruto had left the village to train with a toad to learn to become a Sage like Jiriaya had been. It was while he was away training that Pain had attacked the Leaf Village.

_Flashback (manga 429 – Konoha Village: Sakura's Cry)_

_Everything was chaos. Explosions were occurring all around and ninjas and civilians alike were running and screaming in terror and pain. Summoned beasts of all kinds were roaring and the ground was shaking with their every step. Sakura had been wandering around the village, helping and healing those she could. At some point, Tsunade's slug summon, Katsuyu had found her and helped guide her to people in critical need of her skills. _

_She couldn't believe this was happening. How could Akatsuki have grown so powerful as to invade one of the most powerful villages in the land? Worse, how could they be winning? No, she couldn't afford to start thinking like that. They would make it through this, they always did, right? Sakura was setting a splint for a villager when Katsuyu warned her of trouble coming. Before the medic-nin knew what was happening, the slug had fully enveloped her, leaving her blind and deaf to her surroundings._

_After who knew how much time passed, Sakura found herself outside Katsuyu and glanced around to see nothing but rubble. Had she been summoned somewhere? Taking a closer look at her surroundings, she recognized the Hokage mountain in the background where it always was. She scanned the area again, praying that she was wrong and that this wasn't Konoha. It couldn't be. Where were all of the buildings? As far as she could see, Sakura saw only dust and rubble. No more park where families brought their children to play. No more academy where students worked hard to learn new jutsus. No more Hokage Tower where Tsunade would pretend to do paperwork. Nothing; nothing but destruction._

"_What is this? Why did this happen?" Sakura was on her knees crying for the loss of countless villagers and shinobi. She had no idea how many of her friends were still alive. What of her family? Were they still alive? What of Naruto? No, he wasn't in the village. He had left to train to become a Sage. She missed him now. If these were to be her final moments, she wished that he were here with her. Unable to hold in all of the emotions within her, Sakura shouted at the top of her lungs, "Naruto, come back! Please!"_

_She knew it was selfish. After all, the Akatsuki were after her teammate. She should be happy he was elsewhere and safe. But she needed him now. He was the only one she knew who might be able to defeat Pain and save what little was left of the village._

_End Flashback_

As usual, Naruto had succeeded against unbeatable odds and defeated Pain. More than that, he had convinced Nagato to believe in him and revive all of those killed during the invasion. Never in her life had Sakura known someone who commanded so much power, but instead of killing his enemy, convinces them to have faith that they will do what is right. Her level of respect and care for Naruto had skyrocketed to a whole new level then. He was so strong, yet so humble and carefree. How could anyone, nonetheless a whole organization want to bring harm to someone who tried so hard to bring peace to everyone he met?

Finally, her heart had taken the next step from respect and friendship to love. How much more could he keep growing in her heart? Sakura her a groan come from Naruto. He winced, opened his eyes, and after a few moments, focused on the pink kunoichi. "Sakura-Chan?" he asked sleepily.

She smiled at him, "It's okay, Naruto. I'm here."

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! My daughters first birthday is next weekend, so it will be at least two weeks until the next chapter is posted. Truthfully, I know how I want to end the story, but I don't know how to get there. So the next chapters will be taking me longer to post. Please review and tell me what you thought of the dialogue between sasuke and sakura.

Thanks again!

narp73


	16. Chapter 16 - Sakura's Request

Author's Note: The truth is, I am kinda dissappointed with this chapter. That's why it took so long. Also, I couldn't get a hold of the person who usually looks over my chapters for me. I willl most likely update the chapter if they get back to me. I tried really hard to do all of the editing myself, but I am certain I missed several things. Please review and tell me what you think of the chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 16 – Sakura's Request

Naruto stared in a daze at the most beautiful woman he had ever known above him. He could easily lose himself in her green orbs or her pink locks. Her smile could knock him out faster than any shinobi ever could. As recent events finally caught up with him, Naruto shook his head and moved into a sitting position. Wincing from the pain of his injuries, the blonde felt his chest where not fifteen minutes ago a hole existed. The new skin was still very tender, but there was no scar or other way to tell that he had been injured at all.

Naruto never ceased to be amazed at the kunoichi's medical abilities. She had learned a lot under the tutelage of Tsunade. The blonde had seen her bust a massive boulder into nothing but pebbles with a single punch from her slender arms. He had marveled as several of his injuries had simply vanished beneath her soft glowing hands. More than her abilities, it was her self confidence that had improved since they were younger. Sakura's faith in herself is what put her above most of the med-nin's of Konoha.

Remembering who it was that caused all of his injuries, Naruto drooped as he realized that he had again failed to keep his promise. Sasuke had defeated him and escaped. The blonde was still surprised by Itachi's arrival. He had heard the two Uchiha discuss their past and what Sasuke should do next, but he didn't know if his friend had taken Itachi's words to heart or not. "Sasuke. What happened to Sasuke?" Naruto asked.

Sakura looked to the direction her old teammate went and whispered, "He left. He said he needed time to think. I promised him we wouldn't chase him this time."

"But Sakura-chan," Naruto started, "he is my friend. We can't give up on him."

"And I won't. He is my friend as much as yours." Sakura remembered the confused look on his face before he had left. "For the first time in a long time, he looked like our Sasuke. Have faith, Naruto. He'll come around."

Naruto was aware that something had happened while he was knocked out, but hesitant to ask, he simply nodded. An awkward silence arose between the two teammates. Sakura was trying to think of how to tell Naruto her new found feelings, and the blonde couldn't get his own confession off of his mind. Naruto started with the only thing he could think of. "Thanks for healing me, Sakura-chan."

"I wouldn't have to heal you all the time if you wouldn't run headfirst into danger by yourself, you idiot." The medic-nin came back. She was torn as to whether she should be angry that he had gone off and nearly gotten himself killed, or thrilled that she hadn't lost him.

Naruto got to his feet and offered the kunoichi a hand. Taking his offer, Sakura joined him. She watched their coupled hands for a while, knowing she should let go. She was terrified that he would simply think that she was lying again as she had in the Land of Snow. How could she tell him in a way that he couldn't deny?

Pulling her hands back, she smacked him hard over the head hard. Naruto cried out in pain at the sudden attack and began rubbing the soreness out of his skull. "That's for nearly dying on me you baka!" Sakura then grabbed Naruto's face in her hands and pulled his lips to hers. The kiss was short, and light, leaving both rather stunned. "And that's for being you." she finished.

Naruto's eyes were wide in astonishment and his mind tried to process what just happened. Surely he had to still be in a genjutsu. He concentrated, trying to determine if his chakra was being manipulated from an outside source. Recognizing what he was doing, Sakura laughed and cupped his face with her hand as she said, "Idiot, this is real."

Feeling her hand on his face a second time let him know that the first wasn't a fluke. He raised his hand and placed it over hers and smiled. "Sakura-chan, what's happening?"

Sakura smiled sweetly at him, "When I confessed to you in the Land of Snow, I used all of the right words, but you saw through them to my heart and knew I was lying to myself. This time, I'm showing you my heart first, so you'll know I'm not lying this time." The kunoichi moved forward and placed her forehead on his. "I love you, Naruto-kun."

Naruto, thrilled at her words, pulled her into a warm hug. He breathed in her strawberry scent and sighed, "I've waited so long to hear you say that, Sakura-chan." Never in his life had he been as happy as he was right now. The girl of his dreams had said that she loved him, and meant it.

Sakura couldn't help but compare this to when she confessed to Sasuke before he left the village. There was such a difference between what her feelings had been for the Uchiha then and what her feelings were for Naruto now. And having him return her feelings made all the difference. She had felt like her world would end when Sasuke had simply called her annoying after her confession to him. Now, she felt like the world was merely beginning for her and Naruto. She felt like she was in free fall with that wonderful blend of terror and elation.

They looked down the path as they heard footsteps approaching. It was Konohamaru. "Naruto-nii-chan! Shikamaru sent me. He said it was urgent. He wants you and Sakura to meet him at the front gate as soon as possible!"

"What is going on?" asked Naruto.

"I don't know, but someone is at the gate and claims to have a message that he will only give to you personally." Konohamaru answered.

Naruto and Sakura looked at one another. The blonde had an apologetic look about ruining the moment they had shared. The kunoichi smiled sympathetically and nodded, understanding his feelings. Duty called, as always. "Well, what are we waiting for then?" Sakura said as she began heading for the gate. Naruto ran after her to catch up after saying a quick good-bye to Konohamaru.

When they arrived at the gate, they saw Shikamaru and Kakashi waiting for them. Shikamaru looked haggard after a long day of battle and strategy. His old sensei looked even worse. Blood still pored freely from a wound above his uncovered eye. Sakura immediately went to him and began dealing with the laceration.

Standing several feet away, on the outside of the village, was Zetsu; the white and black Akatsuki member and Madara's right hand. Wondering how the two ninja could just stand there while one of the members of the group who attacked their home just stood there, Naruto created a Rasengan and charged his enemy.

Midstride, someone grabbed his wrist and forced him to dispel the jutsu. Looking back, Naruto saw that it was his sensei. Seeing the question in his student's eyes, Kakashi answered it before he could ask. "He came as a messenger and as such we can do him no harm. This is how we show that we are better than our enemy. Be patient, Naruto. The time to fight will come again." He released the blonde's wrist and they walked back to stand by Shikamaru.

Once his two comrades were by his side, the shadow master spoke. "All of those who are expected are present. Speak your message and leave, before we consider you a spy instead of a messenger."

Zetsu seemed unconcerned by the threat. He bowed sarcastically and said, "As you wish. My master intended this message for the Nine-tailed demon alone, but if you insist, you are welcome to hear it."

"Greetings, Naruto. You and your village have all fought valiantly against my hordes, but you have seen only the tip of the iceberg. Meet me at the Valley of the End by noon or I will kill your precious Hokage. If that still hasn't convinced you, then I will unleash my full fury on your village until not a single man, woman or child is left alive. You have until noon." With his message delivered, Zetsu began to sink into the ground, then vanished entirely. Shikamaru and Kakashi swiftly fell into a discussion obviously regarding the message that the Akatsuki conveyed.

Sakura looked over at Naruto whose hands were clenched into fists and was shaking with rage. She knew him well enough to know that he blamed himself for all that had happened to the village thus far. The kunoichi placed her hand on the blonde's shoulder. "This isn't your fault, Naruto."

Refusing to look her in the eye, he said, "Yes it is. But even if it wasn't, I would still have to do something."

Sakura spun him around, forcing him to look at her. "But what about the prophecy? You have to know that this is a trap. What if you die?"

"Of course I know it's a trap. But I cannot simply let Baa-chan die just because I'm afraid of a few words some old hag told me." shouted Naruto. Although he sounded sure of himself, he too was afraid of what awaited him if he turned himself in and confronted Madara. It all seemed rather ominous; like no matter his choices, eventually he would be forced to face the ancient Uchiha.

"You know it's more complicated than that." Sakura answered exasperated. "I've always been proud of how you risk yourself for your friends. But I've finally realized how much you mean to me and I don't want to lose you now." Overwhelmed with emotion, tears began to fall from her eyes as she spoke. "Please. Please, just this once, don't go. Stay with me."

Naruto looked at the medic-nin as she stood pleadingly. _Stay with me._ He couldn't stand to see Sakura cry. _Stay with me._ But could he really just turn his back on Tsunade? On the Hokage? _Stay with me. _An idea began to form in his head. "Okay Sakura-chan. I'll stay with you." he said.

Sakura's eyes brightened. She honestly didn't think he would stay. She didn't think he had it in him to ignore someone in danger; especially someone as close to him as her master. She wondered what was going through his mind at that moment. Was he ashamed that she had asked him to abandon a close friend? Right now, she didn't care. He would be safe with her, if only for a while.

Sensing the tension between the two, Shikamaru and Kakashi had waited before approaching them. Now that their conversation appeared to be over, the pair of geniuses indicated for Naruto to join their discussion. The blonde nodded at them, signifying he understood, then said to Sakura, "Why don't you go on home and rest. You've had a long day and no offense, but you look exhausted."

The kunoichi looked at Naruto suspiciously, "I've had a long day? You are the one that almost died today."

Naruto started rubbing the back of his head, "I know. I just need to talk to Shikamaru about the message first. I'll be right along, don't worry."

Satisfied with his answer, Sakura agreed and wearily headed home to rest. Naruto joined Shikamaru and Kakashi to discuss their next move.

It wasn't long before Sakura had reached her home. She was so tired she could barely get her door unlocked. Before she entered her house, she recognized Naruto running to catch up with her. Glad that he came, the kunoichi invited him into her home and without preamble, fell on the couch to rest. Realizing that the blonde was still standing awkwardly in her living room, Sakura lifted her blanket and said, "Come on, this invitation won't last forever." Naruto joined her on the couch and wrapped his arm around her as they both fell into a deep sleep worn out from the events of the day.

Kakashi and Shikamaru were waiting at the main gate for the second time that day, waiting on the third member of their team to arrive. It was near mid day; they were running out of time to start their plan.

Finally, the third member of their team arrived. Aware of their tight timeline, the team set off immediately without speaking at all. After nearly half an hour of soundless traveling, Shikamaru couldn't help but comment, "You know she is going to kill you when we get back."

_Flashback (OC – Konoha Village: Naruto's Plan)_

_After Sakura had left, Naruto had told Shikamaru and Kakashi of his idea to send a shadow clone with the medic-nin so she wouldn't worry while they left to rescue the Hokage. The Nara genius shook his head, knowing that even if it did fool the kunoichi, it wouldn't be long before she found out. But the truth was that Naruto was the only one who might be able to defeat Madara. So he would gladly risk Sakura's wrath. If he felt her fury, it meant that he was alive, and the village was safe from yet another threat. The three had agreed to the blonde's plan and had agreed to set off within the hour for the Valley of the End._

_End Flashback_

The third member of the team didn't even glance back over his shoulder as he answered, "I'm not coming back, remember?" The team traveled on in silence once more for nearly an hour before finally arriving at their destination; The Valley of the End. The valley was bare except for the waterfall, giving a wide view for the teammates. Not seeing any obvious traps, Naruto emerged from the treeline and climbed the ancient statue of the first Hokage.

"So, you chose to come after all." a voice said as a figure faded into being from the opposing statue. "Do you really expect that I would not recognize a shadow clone when I see one? Reveal yourself."

"Not until I see Baa-chan." Naruto responded.

"As you wish." the Uchiha responded in a mocking tone. Just as he himself had appeared, the fifth Hokage warped into existence with Zetsu at her side. Her hair was matted dow with blood, her once shimmering Hokage cloak now faded with dust, grime and other less sanitary components as well. Naruto was speechless. It took a tremendous effort for him not to charge heedlessly against her captor.

"Release her." The rage in his voice was evident. Madara could see the nine-tails writhing inside the boy. He was counting on it.

"I believe you said you would reveal yourself when you saw the damsel in distress. And do tell those two friends of yours to come out as well. They are fooling only themselves if they believe they could sneak up on me." The Uchiha stated calmly.

Naruto's shadow clone vanished in a puff of smoke as the real Naruto leaped from a nearby tree landing where his doppelganger once stood. Shikamaru and Kakashi likewise left their hiding places and joined the blonde.

"Now, release her! I came as you requested-"

"Ordered." Madara interrupted. "You came as I ordered. Let's not mix words, Naruto. This is no party where I 'requested' the honor of your presence." The Uchiha knelt, and brushed Tsunade's blood-soaked hair away from her face.

"You must be really special to Naruto for him to sacrifice himself for you like this. But it appears your usefulness to me has ended." Before anyone could react, The Uchiha drew a kunai and slashed it harshly across Tsunade's throat. Blood squirted from the gash at an alarming rate. Unable to form words, the Hokage's eyes spoke volumes to the three teammates. They could see her demand that they run before it was too late. But it already was too late; they would not back down now; Madara had much to answer for.

Madara locked eyes with the third member of the Konoha team, "Let us begin, Naruto."

Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed it. I'm stuck in a rut where I know how I want the story to end, but I do not know how to get there. Count on it being at least 2-3 weeks before I update to give me time to figure out how I am going to pull this off. Please review and tell me your thoughts and even suggestions are welcome at this point.

Thanks again!

narp73


	17. Chapter 17 - Shadow and Lightning

Author's Note: no amazing things to say this time around. I hope you all enjoy the chapter and please review! Especially as the story gets closer to the end, i sincerely want to hear from you all how I am doing and maybe your thoughts on how you think it should end. Thanks for reading. and as always, thanks to Dinesh for helping me with the chapter. I'll have several comments at the end of the chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 17 - Shadow and Lightning

Red. It was all Naruto could see. He knew it was due to the Nine Tailed Fox's chakra, but he couldn't bring himself to care. Tsunade was dead. Blood still oozed from her throat where it had been sliced by Madara.

The blonde could feel the power of the Demon within him screaming to be released and now it was more tempting than ever to give in. Before he had time to consider his actions, Naruto was charging towards the ancient Uchiha while shrouded in the Demon's cloak.

"Naruto, No!" Kakashi tried to warn him, but he was interrupted as Zetsu rose from the ground, cutting him off.

His teammates could only watch as the Jinchuuriki raced towards the leader of the Akatsuki and dove. He flew through the Uchiha, leaving him unharmed. Without pausing, Naruto merely arched around and leaped again to no avail.

"This isn't good. Madara will simply wait until Naruto has exhausted himself, making it easier to capture him." Shikamaru reasoned.

"No, This is better than we could have hoped. If Madara is trying to wear him down, it may give us the time we need to get rid of our own problem." Kakashi corrected, nodding towards Zetsu.

"You are welcome to try." Came the duel reply of the black and white villain.

Resolve filled the Nara genius as he said, "Then we'd best get on with it. You take point and I'll back you up."

The foolish child tried another head on attack, obviously not having learned from his dozen or so previous failures. Madara did not even bother to dodge as his target sailed through him at what he admitted was an impressive speed. The Demon Fox was everything he had hoped it would be and more; fury, rage, and of course, power. It was only a matter of time before even someone with Naruto's unusual supply of chakra succumbed at the rate he was expending his precious energy. Yes, Things were at last coming together perfectly.

…...

Drip.

Drip.

He knew this place. And as often as he had been here it still sent shivers down his spine to feel the pure hatred of the Nine Tails that poured through the sealed gate in a never ending torrent.

Drip.

Drip.

"**Finally, an enemy that you hate with as much fury as I, Uzumaki Naruto."** The Demon did not speak so much as project his thoughts into the young shinobi.

"What do you want, Fox?" Naruto asked.

"**For once, the same as you. Uchiha Madara, dead at our feet."**

Drip.

Drip.

A smile came to the blonde's face. "I will not use your power. I made a promise to my father."

A growl emanated from the beast behind the gate. **"Your father is dead. You cannot defeat Madara on your own. You must know this."**

"I'm not alone. And I would rather die with honor than use your power." His smile was gone now. Only determination remained.

If possible, the Nine Tailed Fox countenance grew even more ferocious. **"One day, you will regret this choice, Uzumaki Naruto. I promise you will."**

Drip.

Drip.

…...

Naruto came to himself on all fours. His Demon cloak had withered away when he regained his senses. The young ninja looked up to see Madara with his arms crossed, there once was a lush forest there was now only a miniature wasteland caused by the raw power of the Nine Tails. His chakra had turned the nearby area into a desert. He saw his friends battling with Zetsu; well, several Zetsus. How long had the Fox taken over? How could he have let his emotions get away with him like that?

"What's the matter Naruto? Why not attack me with _all_ your power?" Madara mocked.

Naruto remained on the ground. Though slightly exhausted from the Demon's rampage, he was prepared to act, should it be necessary. "Why are you doing this? Why did you kill Tsunade?"

"Oh, I could go into great length regarding my reasons. Suffice it to say, because I can." Madara said merrily. "As for Tsunade, she was a Senju and I need no other reason than that."

"But you said you would release her if I came!"

"Did I now?" The Uchiha said with a laugh. "I think not. I said I would kill her if you did not come. I said nothing of what I would do when you did. Beware of your assumptions, Naruto."

The blonde stood to his full height. "I won't let you harm anyone else. This ends today."

Madara chuckled. "My my. What a coincidence! Your father said almost the same thing to me seventeen years ago. You even look like him."

"Well, my father obviously bested you then, as I will now." Naruto said proudly.

"You are naive, boy. You think because you are protecting someone that is enough for you to win? This is no fairy tale story. Good does not always triumph over evil." The jesting tone left the ancient Uchiha's voice. "How many fathers and sons died protecting your village from the Demon fox all those years ago? Did they not care enough? Was the Fox in the right? Hm? Was Pain's beliefs more right than Jiraiya's when he slew your mentor? Did Tsunade not care for you enough when I slit her throat? Answer me boy!"

Anguish washed over Naruto at the memory of his master and his old teammate. The sharpest pain was the death of his mother-figure, Tsunade. Fresh, blinding anger burned within him. But he remembered the faith that had been shown in him by those he loved. "I don't have an answer for you, Madara. All I know is my father and Jiraiya believed in me to accomplish what they could not. They had faith that I could bring peace to this world."

_Flashback: manga 416 – Somewhere in the Fire Country: Jiraiya's Legacy_

"_I can tell that hatred is becoming the dominating force in the shinobi world. I want to do something about that hatred, but I still haven't figured out what that should be though." Jiraiya sighed at the seemingly impossible task. He took hope that someday it might be accomplished. "But someday, someday an age will come where we all truly understand one another!"_

_The twelve year old Naruto quipped, "Sounds like a big job."_

_Ah, Naruto. You are still so young. So full of hope and optimism. I think maybe you are exactly what this world needs. "If I don't end up finding the answer, I'm leaving the job to you!"_

"_Yes sir! If you want me to do it, how can I refuse!" the young ninja answered with a hundred watt smile plastered on his face._

_..._

_Flashback: Manga 440 - Naruto's Mindscape: Minato's Legacy_

"_Yondaime, tell me...What am I supposed to do?" Naruto questioned. Things were happening too quickly. He had just arrived back at Konoha from learning sage mode to discover that most of the village had been wiped out by Pain. Their battle had been, for lack of a better word, epic. Then Hinata rushed in and died defending him. Next, the Nine Tails took over, using his emotions over the Hyuuga's death as a means of overcoming the seal. And now he was standing face to face (so to speak) with the Fourth Hokage, who claimed to be his father._

"_You'll have to find the answer yourself. I don't know either." The Yondaime answered with a shrug._

_Frustration spiked through Naruto, "How the hell am I supposed to figure out something that Ero-Sennin and the freakin' Yondaime Hokage couldn't!? Stop lumping all this crap on me!" The expectations on his shoulders were just too much. All his failures leaped forth in his mind. "If you hadn't noticed, I'm pretty stupid! I'm not even that good of a ninja! And plus-"_

_The younger ninja was interrupted as his father placed his hand on the boy's head and ruffled his hair. "You'll figure it out someday. I know you will."_

_End Flashback_

Naruto could almost feel the pride of his master and father as he spoke, "From where I'm standing, you are the greatest threat to the peace they longed for. So I'm going to take you down, no matter what!"

"Touching words, to be sure, but no matter. You will fail just as the Fourth and Jiraiya did before you."

"We shall see." Naruto said as he summoned a multitude of shadow clones, each with a rasengan in hand.

…...

Sakura woke at the onset of dawn to the chill of being alone. She placed her hand where Naruto's imprint remained from where he slept beside her the previous night. Joy flooded through her at the memory of the previous evening. It was wrong, most likely, to feel such elation after such a bloody battle, but she couldn't help herself. She had finally realized how much the baka had truly meant to her. She loved him. More than she thought possible, she loved him. It just seems like they had wasted so much precious time that they could have been together.

She couldn't remember when she had started to fall for the blonde, but she knew now that she had been fighting it for a long time. Yamato had known back at the Heaven and Earth Bridge nearly two years ago. Hell, even Sai, who was clueless about emotions, connected the dots. She would have to ask Ino. That woman knew her emotions better than even she herself did.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the feel of a dark chakra. Though dangerous, she nonetheless recognized it as the power of the Nine Tails. Naruto. She leaped from the couch and followed the trace of the Kitsune's chakra until she saw Naruto sitting on her balcony in a meditation position. He was surrounded by the red chakra of the Fox. She was momentarily overwhelmed by the force of the seething hatred that the energy emitted. 'This power...how can he keep this at bay day after day?' she thought. The Demon's chakra was bubbling all over his body and three tails waving fiercely behind him. He looked the same as he did back then, when they met Orochimaru on the Heaven and Earth Bridge.

"Naruto..." she whispered. She trusted him explicitly, but she also knew that when the Fox's power came out, that he often was not in control of himself. She unconsciously felt the upper portion of her left arm where the blonde had attacked her while under the influence of the Nine Tails.

With a silent expulsion of air, the Demon cloak vanished. "It's begun." he said softly.

"Naruto? What's happening? Where are you?"

His eyes popped open as he turned to look at her. "You knew?"

Sakura raised an eyebrow at him. "Of course I knew. You think I couldn't recognize one of your clones by now?"

"When?"

"Just a few moments ago. I must have been too low on chakra last night to tell the difference. Now, where are you?" she asked exasperated.

He hesitated, fearing her wrath, before wisely deciding to answer honestly. "At the Valley of the End. I'm fighting Madara and Kakashi-Sensei and Shikamaru are somewhere nearby fighting Zetsu."

"Are you ok? You were covered with the Demon's chakra earlier."

The clone had a distant look. "Tsunade. She's dead. He killed her. I lost control for a time, but I'm ok now."

Sakura was speechless. Tsunade-shishou dead? Surely that wasn't possible. Unbidden tears began falling from her face. For more than three years the woman had been her master, her teacher, her role model. Memories of their training overwhelmed her. Tsunade had told her that it was her determination that convinced her to take on a pupil. She would never forget the most important lesson she had learned under the tutelage of the Hokage.

_Flashback: TV episode 24 – Konoha Training Grounds: Sakura's Training_

"_Listen up Sakura. To a medical ninja, attack power is only the second most important thing to have. Do you know why?" Tsunade asked._

"_Hai!" The young kunoichi lifted her finger "Medical ninja are supposed to support the team. Rather than attack, they should support their comrades in battle, so I believe their ability to heal comes first." she said, proud of her response._

"_Wrong!" The older medic-nin enjoyed the frightened look on her apprentice's face. "The ability to dodge the enemy's attacks is the most important thing." She corrected. _

"_The ability to dodge?" Sakura questioned._

_Tsunade nodded. "Medical ninja must never get hit by the enemy!"_

"_Why is that?"_

_The Hokage sighed, was it really not obvious? "Who's gonna heal the rest of the team if the medical ninja dies?" _

_Realization dawned on Sakura's face as her master said, "Now, I'm going to attack you, for real. You'll practice avoiding all of my attacks. I won't hold back!"_

_End Flashback_

Her master was brutal, but in the end, the lesson was beat into her until it was instinct to dodge even the quickest of blows. She couldn't remember the last time she had thanked her teacher for all she had done for her. Sakura wouldn't be the strong, confident kunoichi she was if not for Tsunade. But she couldn't dwell on that now. There would be time for grief later. For now, she would have to push aside her emotions and help Naruto-

Naruto. Tsunade was like a mother to him; The only one he had ever known. She couldn't imagine what he must be going through. What would happen now? Who would lead them now with their Hokage dead? The blonde was staring at her, still waiting for her to respond, to yell at him, hit him, anything. The only thing she could get to come out of her lips was "No..."

"I'm sorry, Sakura-Chan. I couldn't save her. I had to try. I know I broke my promise to stay with you but I couldn't let-"

"Shhh." Sakura cut him off. "This isn't your fault. None of this is your fault. I never should have asked you to make that promise. It was selfish of me. You did the right thing. Do you hear me!? You did the right thing!" She was shaking him now. Anything she could think of to keep him from going down that road.

Naruto remained seated, suddenly unable to meet her eye. The silence dragged on until the kunoichi could tolerate no more. She rushed back into the house, grabbing her weapons pack and any other gear she could find.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm coming to help."

That got his attention. "No! Sakura-Chan you can't! Naruto sent me here to protect you; to keep you safe."

"Well if that is true then you have to go wherever I go. And I'm coming to you." Sakura slung her backpack over her shoulder. "If you want to protect me, then you'll have to just come along."

The stumped look on the clones face almost made her smile. "Besides," she continued. "If you really didn't want me to come, you shouldn't have told me where you were." She left without looking back, knowing he would be obligated to follow, and bright enough not to try and stop her.

…...

The most important thing that Kakashi had learned during his thirty-two years was not to underestimate your opponent. Most of the ninjas he had defeated as a shinobi were those most likely had never lost a battle and assumed that as long as they struck the first blow, a man with one good eye was no major threat.

The silver-haired man had lost battles; more than he wished to remember. And he liked to believe that that was what made him stronger. He knew his strengths, and more importantly, he knew his weaknesses. He was skilled at using Obito's parting gift to analyze an enemy's ability and counter appropriately.

More than the faith he had in his own ability was his faith in his comrades. Trusting that Shikamaru would be carefully calculating the Akatsuki's moves would allow him to be more aggressive in battle than he normally would be. Kakashi needed to force the enemy to make a mistake or reveal a tell that the Nara could use to form a strategy.

Kakashi began by activating his sharingan; he had a feeling he was going to need it. He proceeded to throw a series of kunai towards Zetsu which were blocked when the cloaked figure summoned an earth wall. A second hail of kunai and shuriken followed the first from a different angle. Without time to cast another jutsu, Zetsu moved, causing the projectiles to sail wide of their target. The Copy-nin tugged on the ninja wire attached to the aerial arsenal forcing the weapons to reverse direction. The wire tightened until it entangled the black and white ninja, pinning him to the earth wall he created.

'Never let it be said that I learned nothing from my students.' he thought. The jonin inhaled deeply and when he exhaled, flames ran along the ninja wire until it combusted where his opponent was trapped. As the flamed died off, Kakashi saw the remnants of his ninja wire near the scorch mark in the wall, but no Akatsuki. 'I couldn't of missed.' he looked around, trying to figure out where Zetsu could have gone.

"Kakashi! The ground!" Shikamaru shouted.

He watched with his good eye as the bipolar ninja emerged from the ground as if he was being formed out of clay. He could see the burns caused by his attack on the upper portion of his opponent's body. 'Well, fire had no significant effect, lets try lightning.' A bright light flashed from his right arm followed by a high pitched cackle as the silver-haired shinobi engulfed it in his primary element. Kakashi charged as quickly as he could. Zetsu summoned another earth wall, but the ex-ANBU captain shattered his defense and thrust his arm through the Akatsuki's gut.

No blood poured from the wound. Instead, portions of Zetsu's body seem to stretch out and ensnare the jonin. Shikamaru's shadow reached the duo first, giving Kakashi time to retreat. For a moment, the forest on the other side of the black and red clad shinobi was visible through the puncture in his stomach, but slowly, the hole grew smaller and smaller until it was solid once more. The burn marks had also healed sometime throughout the exchange.

Kakashi had seen Tsunade heal from wounds of similar severity, but she was a top class medic-nin. And healing such a wound took an enormous amount of chakra besides. The fact that not a single drop of blood had been spilt worried him more than he cared to admit. It was as if this guy wasn't even human. 'I can't afford to think that way. We must defeat him and help Naruto against Madara.' he berated himself.

It was required of all jonin to be able to use two of the five elements to an adequate degree. Three are required to reach ANBU status. Kakashi whispered a small prayer of gratitude to Zabuza for 'teaching' him the jutsu before directing a water dragon toward his newly healed foe. Zetsu had time to summon an earth golem who with a single backhand, turned the dragon into nothing more than a shower for the nearby area. 'earth beats water. I should have known that wouldn't work.' the Konoha-nin thought to himself.

Becoming an ANBU captain took a ninja of a different breed. Not only were they required to be able to use three of the five elements, they had to prove that they were a head up of the other ninjas, in both ability and intelligence. The only jutsu the Akatsuki has used so far has been earth techniques, which is why my Chidori broke through his earth wall so easily. But he did not use any jutsu to heal himself. It just happened on its own. Who is this guy?

The sharingan user slammed his fist into the earth, causing a wave of mud to rush towards the colorless ninja. The wave sprouted arms which grabbed the enemy, choking him and pinning him to the ground. Zetsu merely sunk into the earth, sprouting again nearby, seemingly unharmed.

To be considered as a future Hokage, a shinobi must prove that they are a ninja of a unique caliber. They must be a ninja of remarkable skill, and show that they have the wisdom to make decisions that will affect the future of Konoha and all of it's citizens. 'Fire, Lightning, Water, and Earth had no lasting effect. Only one left.' Kakashi concentrated hard, finally forming a haze of wind chakra around his kunai.

The wind element was by far not his primary element. When ninja tried to perform a jutsu of an element that was not their primary, it took a degree more chakra to accomplish. It took the Copy-nin five times the chakra it would have taken a natural wind element user just to use the jutsu, and even so, it wasn't nearly as effective. Nonetheless, they had to know if this could be the key to victory.

Breathing hard from his effort in enveloping his blade in wind chakra, he forced his tired limbs to heed his command and sprinted towards the Akatsuki at break-neck speed. Zetsu managed to dodge the first and second strike, but was ill-prepared for the third backhanded blow. The slash took the cloaked ninja's left arm just below the elbow and sent it flying where it landed twenty feet away. 'Still no blood, but a one armed enemy is less of a threat than a two armed one.' he thought optimistically.

Of all things, Zetsu smiled. His smile turned to a deep-throated laughter as his white stump grew longer and longer. Within a minute, a fresh, unblemished hand existed where there once was nothing.

Unfortunately, that wasn't the worst of it. The ivory arm that the older Konoha-nin had removed began twitching. The arm grew an elbow, then a shoulder, a chest, a hip, another shoulder, two knees, two feet, and at last a head. Two Zetsu's now stood where there were once one; the original and another..._grown_ from his limb.

Author's note: Several ending comments:

I had huge difficulty with Naruto's mindscape. I dislike most of the stories I have read where the Kitsune talks to Naruto. However, I recognize that it is a part of the show and so I inserted it here where I think it could happen. Sasuke could see the Fox, so I believe Madara could too. Hopefully, they way i did it is accurate to the story.

Sakura's ending line to the naruto clone came from two places: "If you want to protect me, then you will just have to come along" came from star wars episode 2 where padme wanted to go save obi-wan. the second line, "If you really didn't want me to come then you shouldn't have told me where you were going" came from national treasure.

Lastly, Zetsu is difficult to write about because so little is still known about him. I want to do him justice, so please give me your thoughts on how the battle is going so far. Also, I think Kakashi is a badass so i wanted him to be phenomenal and be one of the few ninja who could use all five elements. with his sharingan, i believe this could be possible.

Sorry for the long sign off. PLEASE REVIEW!

narp73


	18. Chapter 18 - The Final Showdown Begins

Author's Note: Chapter 18 at your service. Thanks go out as always to Dinesh for reviewing the chapter beforehand and giving several good tips on how to improve it. It seems that lots of people are following/favoriting the story (which I of course appreciate) not not reviewing. If you like the story enough to look forward to the next chapter, how could you not want to send a quick review tell me that you enjoy it? Or better yet, some constructive criticism on what you think I am doing well and could improve on. An 'awesome story, dude' while appreciated, doesn't give a great amount of detail as to what you liked about the chapter or story in general. I would greatly appreciate your all's input on my story. Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not Naruto.

Chapter 18 – The Final Showdown Begins

'This is bad.' he thought. After Zetsu had created a pure white clone from his dismembered arm, he threw several particles on the ground. At first Shikamaru assumed that they were a form of explosive similar to what Diedara used, but when they began to grow as well, he knew immediately what was happening. 'More clones.'

The Nara watched as Kakashi slashed the first clone across the chest. Before it had hit the ground, the elder nin had already nearly reached the newly formed copies of the Akatsuki. 'Well, he sure is playing his part well.' he quipped. Kakashi's role had been to force the enemy to reveal his abilities and give him time to think of an appropriate counter.

So far his abilities consisted of earth techniques and thus far, no other elemental affinities. Beyond that, Zetsu has shown no particular weaknesses to any of the five elements that the Copy-nin had used against him. More disturbing, was the fact that even when successfully struck by a jutsu, the opponent was able to quickly regenerate himself by means unknown. Lastly, and most troublesome, was that he was apparently able to make copies of himself similar to Naruto's Shadow clones. The only good side so far was that his clones did not appear to share his regenerative capabilities based on the unmoving copies that his teammate had defeated so far.

Kakashi was fighting half a dozen of the pale creatures as once. It was impressive that he could keep track of that many opponents at once. Shikamaru watched with awe as his partner used the enemy's numbers against them by hurling one of them into another pair, knocking all three to the ground. Before they could untangle themselves, the jonin had already slit their throats.

Despite his successes, the Zetsu's grew ever more numerous as more of the 'seeds' grew fit for battle. Where before there had been one, then four, now more than twenty clones were present, and more were surely on their way. 'You bought me what time you could Kakashi, but I can't let you fight alone anymore.' Shikamaru thought before he threw a kunai which struck one of the doppelgangers in the neck before it could attack the silver-haired ninja from behind. The Nara cut a path through the clones to his teammate in time to dispatch one of the white figures that had leeched itself onto his back.

"Thanks. I needed that." Kakashi said wearily.

"Anytime. Couldn't let you do all the work. People already call me lazy as it is. Besides, it would have been too troublesome not to intervene." he answered.

"I'll put in a good word for you. Well? What is the plan?" the elder ninja asked as he kicked away another clone.

"For now I see no choice other than to fight his way. He is obviously trying to wear us down and run us out of chakra."

"He's succeeding." Kakashi said with a huff.

"But it works both ways. That regeneration, these clones, they have to be running him down on chakra too. We just have to outlast him." Shikamaru reasoned.

"Very well. Out last him it is." Kakashi ran into the thick of the bleached clones, tackling one of them to the ground. The surrounding creatures leaped on top of the fallen Konoha-nin only for him to be replaced with a log. A fireball was all it took to finish off the convenient pile of enemies.

Shikamaru looked briefly at the sun. 'Good, this technique works better in the early morning or the late evening.' he thought. After all, that was when shadows were at their longest.

"Shadow Boxing Jutsu!" The shadows of his arms rose from the ground in tangible form. The black tentacles formed into fists of their own connected at the Nara's shoulder, extending his reach tenfold. Black met white as a quick jab sent the left shadow fist flying forward, connecting with a clone that was twenty feet away. A hook from the opposite arm sent the opposing dark mass sweeping, batting over a handful of the figures.

The fight went on and on. The duo continued dispatching their opponents; sometimes individually, sometimes by the dozen. Even so, there was always another to take the place of each one that fell. Kakashi had long since covered his sharingan to conserve chakra, but he was still showing obvious signs of exhaustion. Shikamaru could feel the sweat pouring down his face and the ache in his limbs demanding rest.

He looked up to where the night-and-day-colored original was still spreading more seeds; more enemies for them to handle. 'Impossible. He doesn't even look tired. Is all of this really costing him no effort at all?' The thought worried him. He knew that he and Kakashi couldn't last much longer. They had destroyed well over a hundred clones, but Zetsu was replenishing his losses far faster than they were being destroyed. More than six hundred clones still stood, with no end in sight.

Shikamaru fought his way to Kakashi's side. The jonin looked over at him, already sensing what the young ninja was about to say. "We are not going to make it."

The shadow user nodded. "All we can do now is buy Naruto as much time as we can before Zetsu joins his master."

"I can do that." Kakashi stood to his full height. Shikamaru knew what he was thinking. He was thinking the same thing. Naruto was Konoha's only chance at defeating Madara. If he couldn't, then Konoha was doomed. It was quite likely that if Naruto failed now, the world as they knew it was over. Madara would have all of the tailed beasts and the power to complete his worldwide genjutsu. Naruto was worth dying for.

"Shannaro!"

"Gatsuga!"

"Partial-Expansion Jutsu!"

"Eight Trigrams: Vacuum Palm!"

Shikamaru felt relief swarm over him as his fellow Konoha shinobi invaded the battlefield with their powerful techniques. Sakura's fist collided with the ground, causing a shockwave to blast nearby enemies backward off their feet. Kiba, even without Akamaru, was still able to drill through his opponent with his signature move and swipe at two more before they could react. Chouji, which his massive arm, slapped clones aside as if they were flies. Hinata shot down one figure before gracefully cutting down another with a kunai. Finally, the stoic Shino sent forth his bugs to harass another small horde of the foes, sucking them dry of chakra.

Though still quite surrounded, the nearby area was secure for the time being. "What are you guys doing here? This was supposed to be a secret mission." The Nara asked.

"Uh, that would be my fault." Said the Naruto clone. "She figured it out faster than I expected, and forced me to take her here. She found the others along the way, thinking we might need the back up." he concluded.

Chouji looked disappointed in his long time teammate. "You guys really shouldn't have went on your own."

"Ya, How dare you guys how all the glory for yourselves!" Shouted the ever-arrogant Kiba.

"Where do we stand?" Sakura asked.

Shikamaru looked at her. He knew that Naruto really didn't want her here, but here she was and he was going to put her to work. "Zetsu has shown no weaknesses so far. He can regenerate quickly; faster than Naruto, and as well as Tsunade. Furthermore, as you can see, he can create clones of himself, either by dismemberment, or by tossing seeds which grow into what you see before you. None of this appears to be tiring him or costing him any chakra that we can see."

A confused look came to Sakura's face. "How is that possible? Everything costs chakra. He has to have a limited supply."

"If so, we do not know the limit. Kakashi and I have been fighting these clones for well over an hour now. Even Naruto wouldn't be able to make this many clones and still have as much fight as this guys has."

"...could too, you lazy bastard..." Naruto muttered under his breathe. Shikamaru looked at the stubborn clone, then returned his gaze to the group as a whole.

"What news of Konoha?" he asked.

"Everyone else is either on patrol or already working on rebuilding the defenses. We aren't taking any chances." Hinata said.

"Good." Shikamaru said with relief.

"What are we going to do then, Shikamaru?" questioned Chouji.

He sighed, "First thing is first, we have to whittle down his numbers and make him less of a threat. Chouji, Kiba, you are on point. Kakashi, I know you are tired, but try to back them up. Don't push yourself, we may need you later." The genius looked at Sakura then Shino respectively, "Sakura, go with them as medical back up. Fight when you must, but reserve your chakra. Shino, you are the only one here that is ranged. I need you to distract the original from making more of these damn clones."

Hinata raised her hand politely, "What about me?"

"I need you with me. Hopefully your eyes will tell me something I don't know about this guy."

"What about Naruto?" Sakura asked.

Shikamaru looked at the clone, "What about him?"

The medic-nin rolled her eyes, "Not him, the real Naruto! He's fighting Madara alone and all of us are fighting this freak? How about we split up. I can go to Naruto and-"

"No."

"Why not!?" she asked harshly.

"This isn't like that time we went to capture Sasuke." That sobered the group a bit. An image of their younger selves filled all of their minds. They thought themselves invincible. They had yet to see the darker side of being a shinobi.

"I was naive then. I do not know how strong Zetsu is. And until I am certain we can defeat him, I will not send others on while he could catch up and take you by surprise. Madara is in a class beyond any of us. We may not be any use to Naruto anyway." His voice softened upon seeing her wounded expression. "I know how much you want to help him, but trust me. The best way to help him right now is to take this guy down."

"He is right. That is because then we can be the ones to surprise Madara, as a team." Shino spoke for the first time.

Sakura bit her lip. She didn't like it, but she supposed the usually-silent ninja was right. She tugged on her glove, tightening it's fit on her hand, "Okay. Let's do it!"

Everyone save for Hinata, Shikamaru and Shino ran off to face the horde of Zetsus that littered the battlefield.

"Hey, Chouji, I bet you a barbeque buffet that I take down more than you do!" Kiba shouted.

The large shinobi's eyes lit up at the sound of barbeque, "heh heh, your on!"

Shikamaru watched them set off, then returned his mind to the task at hand. "Use your Byakugan and tell me what you see, Hinata."

"Hai, Byakugan!" Veins bulged around her eyes caused by the increase in chakra being drawn to the white orbs. She concentrated for several minutes before responding. When she did, it was hesitant, as if not understanding what it was she saw. "He has a normal chakra system as far as locations of the nodes that direct them. But his system is not an internal system."

"What do you mean?" Shikamaru asked.

She shook her head, thinking of how to explain what she saw, "Every person I have ever encountered forms chakra through the combination of physical energy and spiritual energy; both portions come from inside the body. Somehow, he is drawing his chakra from outside his body."

"Outside his body? But that means-Shit! Shino!" Too late, the genius saw the army of insects sent by Shino as they approached the Akatsuki. Ten feet out, the entire swarm dissipated and fell to the ground, dead. Shino dropped to a knee at the loss of so many of his pets.

"He sucked the bugs dry just by being around him!" Hinata shouted.

"Shino! Are you alright?" Shikamaru questioned.

"Yes, I'll be ok. But I fear I won't be of any further use to you. My bugs cannot reach him, and between the defense of Konoha and this, I'm afraid I need the insects I have to replenish my losses."

"I understand. Could you at least deliver a message for me?" he inquired.

"Yes, this I could do. What message would you have me bring?"

"Tell everyone in the village, even shinobi, to head to the Hokage Mountain where the civilians take refuge."

"Why?" Shino asked.

"If we don't win here, then defenses and patrols won't matter. Madara will win. Win or lose, we can relay a message to you if you leave some bugs behind. If we take him down, you will know that it is okay to come out. If we fail, then I want you to lead the villagers to Suna."

"Suna?"

"Yes, Gaara will take them in. It will be our only option left." They had to win. Or everything was lost. But he didn't want to tell Shino that. It was better he remain hopeful.

"Okay, Shikamaru, I will do as you ask. Though, I expect to hear words of victory from you." With visible effort, Shino left a handful of bugs in Shikamaru's care before departing back to Konoha to relay his message.

…..

"Rasengan!"

The blue orb collided with the ground, sending dust and debris flying. The air cleared, revealing a disheveled Naruto heaving to catch his breath.

Chains erupted from nowhere, quickly tightening around the blonde. As the bonds tightened, the young shinobi grunted and choked before succumbing. With a whiff of smoke, the Naruto vanished, just as the others had, all defeated by the masked menace.

The true jinchuuriki struggled to rise to his feet. No matter what he tried, he had failed to harm the Uchiha. His ability to become tangible and intangible at will was astonishing; and deadly. One of his clones had taken the Akatsuki leader from behind, only to pass completely through him. The instant the copy was through, Madara had grabbed it by the neck and smashed it into the ground, destroying it.

"Do you give up yet, boy?"

"I'm not done yet! I will defeat you!" Naruto ended his statement by sending a kunai towards the Akatsuki leader. The blade passed unheeded through his head.

"Such tricks will not work on me."

"We will see about that." Naruto performed his signature jutsu creating five copies that separated before attacking. Instead of attacking simultaneously, which from past experience obviously didn't work, they attacked sequentially; one after the other they dove at their opponent. Madara let the first glide past, but met the second with a foot to the jaw, dispersing him instantly. The third slid harmlessly past and the fourth med the same fate as the second.

The three remaining clones looked at each other, daring the others to try their luck first. In less time than it would take to blink, the sharingan user spun around and caught the hidden blonde by the throat.

"Before, your kunai was a clone in disguise; clever, but useless. Did you truly believe that I wouldn't notice?" remarked Madara.

A huge grin came to the blonde's face. "Actually, I was counting on it!" A closer look revealed that the clone in question was covered in exploding tags.

The doppelganger beamed and lifted his hand in a victory sign. "Gotcha!" His statement was cut off as the tags burst, enveloping a ten meter radius in blast that knocked the real Naruto off his feet. He quickly leaped back onto his feet and thrust his fist into the air.

"Ya! Eat that you bastard! I told you I'd beat you!"

"Did you intend to do so without laying a finger on me? Don't make promises you can't keep." Madara mocked as he slowly approached his prize through the haze of the dissipating discharge. "I have let you have your fun, but I am tired of your optimism and I am tired of this game. Whether you come willingly or not, I will have the Kitsune." Madara grabbed the jinchuuriki by the shoulder. The scream that emitted from Naruto was gut-wrenching. Within seconds, the blonde passed out from the pain.

…...

Drip.

Drip.

In his mindscape, Naruto watched helplessly as the Uchiha approached the golden gate which held the Demon Fox at bay.

"The cage suits you, Kyuubi."

Drip.

Drip.

"**Uchiha Madara, I knew we would meet again. I have been looking forward to when I might rip those eyes from your skull."** The giant beast rammed the gate with all his might and let loose a ferocious roar. The boom echoed throughout the vast room, fading to be replaced by a dark chuckle from Madara.

"I'm so glad you haven't lost your sense of humor after all these years." The Akatsuki leader reached out to feel the seal. His fingers laced the drawing, following the ink. Several moments passed as the old ninja examined the seal. "Interesting. The Fourth improved on your seal." He thought for another minute. "Only the jinchuuriki can open the seal of his own free will. Jiraiya taught him more than I expected."

Madara backed up a few feet. "No matter. It matters not how many locks they place on the door if they leave the window open." The Uchiha strolled to the left side of the enormous gate and placed his hand on the hinge of the barrier. Only a few minutes passed before Madara had detached the joint and pulled the gate away from the wall.

The Kitsune lunged; he would not go down easily. The giant Fox didn't make it halfway before he was pinned to the ground by a strange barrier. "Now, now, no need to be feisty." Madara approached the beast slowly, savoring the moment. "I've been looking forward to this for seventeen long years." He placed his hands on the Nine-Tailed Demon and began slowly absorbing the vast amount of chakra. Furious over being defeated by the same man twice, the Fox unleashed a roar so loud that Naruto had to cover his ears.

…...

A hidden figure moved quickly through the forest. The woodland in this area was serene, despite the epic clash taking place within it. The trees swayed with the wind and the soothing thunder of the waterfall from the valley could be heard even from this distance. The only true sign that something was amiss was the path of destruction left by the two combatants. It was this that had led the young warrior past cratered deadlands, shattered boulders and fallen trees that had stood for centuries.

Silence reigned as the observer watched Madara standing over a kneeling Naruto. The blonde was once again covered in the Nine-Tails cloak, though it was obvious that the masked shinobi was benefiting from it. The crimson chakra trickled from the younger ninja, flowing from his chest to his shoulders, flowing up the arms of his enemy where it was absorbed by the Akatsuki lord.

'Not good.' thought the stranger. He needed to act now. It would sacrifice the element of surprise, but without Naruto to distraction of his target, it would make little difference. He dashed from his hiding place, arriving at his destination before either ninja was aware of his presence. He wrapped the captive in ninja wire, and pulled with all his might.

For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. As the jinchuuriki was pulled backward, the newcomer was flung forward. The young warrior used the extra momentum to unleash a heavy roundhouse kick to the masked villain. To his surprise, the blow landed, sending Madara careening across the forest floor until he regained his footing and slid along the landscape to a stop.

"I'm disappointed in you, Sasuke."

The younger Uchiha silently stood his ground as the dust settled. A brief glance behind him revealed Naruto on all fours, coughing up blood. It might take him a while to rejoin the fight.

"Like I care." he replied

Crimson met crimson as the last of the Uchihas leered at one another. The single eye of the elder shinobi was so focused on his clan's descendant, it was surprising the young man could hold his gaze.

Madara was the first to break the silence that ensued. "I had hoped you would stand by my side. We are all that is left of our clan, after all."

Sasuke's glare deepened. "After today there will only be one."

"In that, at least, you are correct."

Blood struck the ground once more before Naruto regained control over his body. He ached all over, and not just from his overexertion of chakra. The clarity with which he recalled what had transpired in his mind scape truly terrified him. The mental anguish caused by the draining of the Kitsune's raw power felt more painful than he knew how to express. It felt like part of his soul had been ripped out of him. It was mind-boggling to consider what would have happened had no one interfered.

Wait, who had interfered? Still on his hands and knees, he looked over and saw his savior. His eyes widened in surprise. "Sasuke?"

The Uchiha's eyes never left his enemy. "Get up, dobe."

Still dizzy from the aftereffects, he somehow managed to stand. "What are you doing here?"

"What do you think?"

Each step steadier than the last, Naruto walked and stood next to his rival. A small grin came to his face. "I'm glad you came, Sasuke."

The three stared off. For a long time, the tension was so thick, the surrounding forestry was silent, as if sensing the upcoming destruction.

"Lets get to it then! Rasengan!" Naruto shouted.

"Great Fireball Jutsu!"

The two attacked simultaneously. Despite the many years that had passed since being on the same team, their coordination was flawless. The explosions caused by their attacks created a massive gust of wind that swept the nearby area. As the blaze died down Madara was nowhere to be found. The masked man emerged from the smoke without even a burn mark on his cloak.

"You never learn, do you, Naruto?" The air around the ancient Uchiha cackled with energy as he gathered chakra around himself. "My turn."

Flames burst from the masked ninja reaching more than twenty feet high. The temperature sky-rocketed to the point where the nearby leaves from the trees disintegrated in a flash of light. The fire formed the shape of a dragon and shot high into the air. Sasuke could only stare in awe as the most powerful fire jutsu he had ever seen reached the pentacle of it's flight and began to descend back to the ground.

Within seconds, the dragon hit the ground, unleashing a blast that easily took out a hundred meter radius. Despite the fire raging, a shadow could still be seen through the haze of smoke caused by the powerful jutsu.

Sasuke's Susano'o was terrifying to behold as it's eyes blazed through the smoke of the surrounding vapor. In the middle, the young avenger lifted his gaze to give his enemy a look of pure hatred. "We aren't done yet. We're just getting started."

Author's Note: Thanks again for reading. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Please leave a review and send me your thoughts. I will respond to all reviews (at least those worthy of reviews).


	19. Chapter 19 - The Truth of Madara

Chapter 19 – The Truth of Madara

Author's Note: Chapter 19 at your service. My longest chapter yet! Do enjoy! PLEASE REVIEW! thank you to Dinesh for giving me advice on the chapter. also, thanks to DarthPheonixFire and Nacho-chan for their reviews.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

"Shannaro!" Sakura slammed her heel into the nearest pale clone, dropping it instantly. She took a moment to assess her surroundings. They were making progress. The copies were being destroyed faster than they were being created, but the battle was far from over. The horde of enemies seemed endless. The successes they had seemed insignificant compared to the number of enemies that remained.

Naruto's clone stayed right beside her, fighting off any foe that wandered too close. She was grateful for his presence, even if it was just a clone. She was certain that if Naruto was in serious danger his copy would disappear. Therefore his continued presence acted as proof that he was still alive.

Sakura ducked another kick as the Naruto clone tackled another opponent from behind. Three other foes fell to the kunoichi's fists before she was again overwhelmed by their numbers. No less than eight surrounded her, forcing her to use a substitution jutsu to escape. Unfortunately, the area she reappeared was no less occupied by the white clones.

"Sakura! Behind you!" Naruto's doppelganger dove to intercept as one of the pale creatures swung at her head. The kunoichi reacted by rolling to her right, narrowly avoiding her demise. Looking back she saw the clone kneeling where she once stood. One of the pale creatures was leeching on his back as two others were pulling on each arm.

"Sakura, whatever happens, don't-" He never got to finish his statement as the combined efforts of his attackers succeeded in vanquishing him into nothingness.

Despite the knowledge that it wasn't really Naruto, anguish washed through her at the site of his demise. "Naruto..." She had no time to give it more thought as another wave of the enemy swarmed around her once more.

…...

Think. What am I missing? Think. What has he done? What has he not done? What are his moves, his counters, his skills? Think.

The Nara placed his hands together in his signature bowl shape as he concentrated, trusting Hinata to protect him. All of his enemy's actions flowed through his mind as he considered his next move. Next came the information that Kakashi had fought so hard to provide; Zetsu's healing abilities, elemental affinities, and lack of elemental weaknesses. Lastly came the intel discovered by Hinata and Shino. The unlimited chakra due to the external chakra system was by far the biggest threat. No matter how many ninjas they had, Zetsu could outlast them all.

The aura of chakra absorption extended to about fifteen feet based on Shino's losses. This ability seemed remarkably similar to Naruto's Sage Mode. What an awesome power; to no longer be limited to one's own chakra supply, but to draw on everything around you. In the end everything has a cost. Surely there had to be a cost to this unlimited energy. The only experience he had to draw from was that of the blonde. Naruto had told him of some of it's capabilities. After all, as team leader, Shikamaru needed to know the skills of his teammates. The hyperactive ninja described the feeling as the difference between drinking a glass of water and swimming in a lake. A cup of water cured your thirst for a time. A dip in the lake made you feel refreshed for a time. But when you emerged from the pool, you skin became drier than ever.

Zetsu was used to having boundless chakra. Similar to pride and overconfidence, there had to be a fault. Somehow, he needed to lure the Akatsuki to a place where there was no chakra to steal. But where? The river and the forest surrounded the nearby area. Life was everywhere; and where there was life, there was chakra. Where on earth could we find a dead zone-

Shikamaru's eyes shot open. "That's it! Hinata, lead me to the others."

Another clone fell to her gentle fist. She was probably the freshest of all of them, having only struck those she had to instead of any she could. After all, her eyes were more important than her fists. "Hai!"

…...

"Partial Expansion Jutsu!" Chouji's arm grew to that of a giant as it slammed hard onto the ground, dispersing any nearby opponents. While granting a user exceptional strength and reach, his signature move came at a high chakra cost. Most males in the Akimichi clan were large men, but this was by no means an embarrassment. His clan was able to instantly convert the fat into additional chakra while the average person performed this action over time. It wasn't rare to see one of his family members lose 50 pounds after a fight.

The twenty foot tall Chouji continued to bat, smash and stomp his enemies into the ground as he towered over them. He had long since swallowed the green pill of his clan's secret super soldier pills, and was currently thumbing the yellow pill. Was the extra power worth the risks that came with the next stage?

Each pill expanded his muscles and flooded his system with extra chakra to enhance those muscles. The short term effect was a massive increase in strength and stamina, the long term effects were far less friendly. By stretching his muscles, he risked tearing them to the point where he would never again be able to use them. Furthermore, the overwhelming amount of energy that the pills granted was more than his system could handle. It corroded his chakra nodes, slowly destroying his ability to wield chakra. Basically, by taking the pills, he risked losing his status as a shinobi.

Each pill granted more abilities than the color before, but each pill also increased the risk as well. Chouji knew he was lucky to even have survived the use of all three pills back when they had tried to retrieve Sasuke. If ever there was a time to put his life on the line again, this was it. Anything was worth stopping Madara from competing his wicked goals.

Another backhand sent another wave of the creatures flying. Somehow, throughout the carnage, several of the clones had attached themselves to his back and limbs. With each leeching his chakra, the Enormous ninja was quickly shrinking back to his normal size. Chouji felt rather than saw the clone on his back fall off. Then the one on his right leg was ripped of by claws he recognized all too well.

"Miss me?" Kiba asked as he cut down the two remaining leeches.

"Never been more glad to see you." Came his choked reply.

The animalistic ninja threw himself at the nearest clone with a ferocity that quickly overcame it's defenses. A second one threw up it's arms to block Kiba's incoming blow, but could not hope to hold back the power behind the strike. The slash knocked the creature to the ground where it was easily dispatched. Chouji watched as a third and fourth victim fell in as many seconds as Kiba pounced from clone to clone. Almost a dozen had fell before the large man returned to his feet. Finally the sheer number of enemies caught up to the Inuzuka as one of the copies attached itself to his back and began to drain him of his energy.

It took only a split second for Chouji to grab the clone by the neck and pull it off his fellow leaf ninja. He placed both hands to either side of it's head and yelled, "Partial Expansion Jutsu!" The large shinobi's hands grew in size, smashing the head of the pale creature between his enormous palms.

"Thanks, I needed that." Kiba said, breathing hard.

"Anytime. We wouldn't have this problem if you had better defense."

"'The best defense is a good offense', I always say." the sensory-nin quipped.

"You will have to keep working on that offense to best my 84 kills." Chouji said with pride evident in his voice.

"Is that so?" Kiba said with surprise, "I may not have been that smart in the academy, but even I know that my 107 kills trumps your eighty-four!" Despite the seriousness of the situation, a smug look came to his face.

Chouji's jaw dropped. 'One hundred and seven? Apparently, I need to step it up a notch.' he thought. He grasped the yellow pill that he had been toying with and tossed it into his mouth. With the first bite, the Akimichi felt renewed as the power swept through his depleted chakra system. "Human Bullet Tank!" His arms and legs tucked into his body as his torso hurdled forward while rotating rapidly. The pale creatures didn't stand a chance as Chouji mowed down row after row of the clones.

Kiba shouted after his teammate, "Oi! Leave some for me!"

…...

Flames still burned along the edges of the blast area. The towering blue demon protecting the two ex-teammates remained unfazed by the high level fire jutsu unleashed by their opponent. Already, he was fully armored from head to toe, only a single eye glinting out at it's fearsome foe.

Madara chuckled darkly, "Not bad, Sasuke. But you still have a lot to learn. Do you think you and your brother were unique in learning that technique? You have yet to unlock the full potential of Susano'o."

Dark chakra burst from the ancient Uchiha, releasing a terror even Sasuke blanched at. The Susano'o created by Madara was one and a half times the size of the one protecting Sasuke. Furthermore, the beast protecting the Akatsuki was far more developed. This creature featured four arms instead of two, each of which held a long curved blade, with horns sprouting from its brow. Shrouded with a red, vile cloak of chakra, every breath came with a growl.

"This is the ultimate level of the Susano'o." As his sentence ended, a mighty roar was unleashed. All four blades came rushing at the smaller defender. Sasuke's guardian quickly raised his shield to stop the attack. Thunder clapped everytime their swords collided. The force behind the strikes forced Sasuke to his knees. Madara continued to press his attack by simultaneously swinging all four blades in varying directions. Sasuke did what he could to avoid the swords with his own sword and shield, but he wasn't quick enough. Two blows landed on his Susano'o's left shoulder, then another to his right side.

More by luck than skill, the smaller guardian's blade ricocheted off after blocking one of the larger's swing to land a slash along his opposite arm. That limb dropped it's sword, but the remaining three were still more than Sasuke could handle.

"Naruto!"

"I know, damn it, I know! Do it!" He answered.

Sasuke opened his left eye, unleashing a torrent of black flame. "Amaterasu!"

"Rasen-shuriken!"

The combined might of the their ultimate attacks erupted on Madara's great defender. A swirl of smoke encompassed the area. Naruto and Sasuke were left wondering whether their combined attack succeeded.

"Did we get him?" the blonde asked, huffing with the effort.

The young Uchiha released his own Susano'o; it was too damaged to be of any further use anyway. The Amaterasu took it's toll, forcing Sasuke to drop to his knee. A human eye could only tolerate so much chakra, and his ultimate attack exceeded that amount. Blood poured freely down his cheek as he looked on with his good eye in anticipation to see if Madara had survived. He knew his ancestor well enough to know that wasn't the last of him. His comment, however, was slightly more optimistic. "Hn."

…...

"Just a little further." she said. The others had spread much farther than they anticipated. Luckily, the clones weren't too thick as they followed Hinata's directions. Even without the Hyuuga's words, it was obvious that they were in the right place. The defeated creatures littered the ground making it seem like a winter storm came and blanketed the area with abnormally sized snow. The dirt could barely be seen underneath their corpses. A few minutes later they were met with a friendly sound.

"Gatsuga!" Another body was added to the pile.

"Kiba-kun!"

"Hinata?" The Inuzuka dropped his latest kill as he turned towards his long-time teammate. "I love this place. We should visit more often." The arrogant words did nothing to hide the weariness in his voice.

"Where are the others? I know what to do. We need to regroup." Shikamaru explained.

"Well, Chouji's around here somewhere doing his 'macho' thing. As for Sakura and Kakashi, last I saw, they went south a bit." As if on cue, the group felt the earth shake as several Zetsu's flew into the air less than half a mile away. "Ah man, she must be pissed off." No one argued.

…...

She used the loss of Naruto's clone to fuel her on as she bashed in each bloodless creature before her. Kakashi guarded her, conserving what little chakra he had left and let her take the lead. He couldn't help but be proud of the kunoichi she had become.

Truthfully, he was probably the worst mentor for her. Her superior chakra control made her efficiency with her store of energy almost perfect. Although this somewhat balanced her relatively small pool of chakra, it was still unlikely she would survive in a drawn out battle against a skilled opponent. No, her precise control over her chakra would prove vital in areas such as genjutsu where she could use that manipulation to make flawless details that would convince her enemy of it's authenticity.

While sufficient at genjutsu, he was ill-suited to teach the subject. Someone like Kurenai would have far much success with her than he in that regard, but of course, she had her own team. Tsunade was the perfect mentor for her. Medical jutsu, more than any other field, required absolute control. Any deviation in surgery could easily spell death for a patient. More than that though, Sakura had a passion for life that called her to push herself like few others would to save someone's life. That was why he was certain that someday she would surpass the recently deceased Hokage.

Kakashi was dragged out of his reverie as a clone fell at his feet. "You must be getting old to let one get that close to you, Kakashi-sensei."

"It happens faster than you would think. I hope you get to live long enough to experience it yourself."

She grunted in reply as he spied the rest of the leaf-nin heading their way. Chouji led the way, using his massive arms to clear the path for the rest of the party while Kiba and Hinata guarded the peripheral. Shikamaru had a slight grin on his face despite his haggard appearance.

Obviously, Sakura had noticed this as well. "You figured it out?"

The Nara nodded, "Yep. But I need you all to trust me. I need to do this alone."

"Why alone? This guy has been kicking our ass with these clones of his. We can't let you do this by yourself! Why do you think we came in the first place?" Kiba's rant only illustrated the thoughts of everyone present.

The group fell silent as a violent explosion enveloped the landscape only a couple miles to the east. It was followed by an agonizing roar that sent a chill through the leaf-nin, regardless of their training and experience. Something big must have happened between Naruto and Madara.

The shadow wielder put his fingers to his temples, exasperated. "Look, I don't have time to explain it to you. You came to help Naruto defeat Madara, not one of his minions. I wouldn't let you go earlier because I needed to be sure we could bring Zetsu down and now I am. All I need is a path to the real one."

"I can do that." Chouji said, answering his call. "This time, I'll come back for you."

The reference to Sasuke's retrieval mission almost made the Nara wince, but he held his countenance. "Thanks, Chouji." Shikamaru placed his hand on his partner's back in gratitude. As he passed behind the robust shinobi, he came face to face with the ex-ANBU member.

"Are you sure about this?" Kakashi questioned.

"I am."

"And the other?"

Shikamaru hesitated. "Yes, that too."

The rest of the group seemed a bit confused at the last comment, but the team leader left them little time to ponder it. "Chouji, lead the way. Once we get close to the real one, break off and guide the rest of the group towards that blast. You'll most likely find Naruto there."

"Alright. Everyone, stay close behind me. Let's go! Super Human Meat Tank!" The team ran after their rolling teammate as he plowed over the clones in his path one by one.

As they approached the hill were the original Akatsuki stood, Shikamaru shouted, "Sakura now!"

"Right! Shannaro!" She grabbed the Nara by his vest and spun to give herself more power before hurling her teammate towards his target. Kiba grabbed her by the arm, lest she fall too far behind their rapidly rotating vanguard. With a final wish of good luck, she followed her remaining squad as they fled the pale creatures on their tail.

"I'll stop them from chasing us. Keep going!" Kakashi yelled before intentionally falling back. Sakura quickly lost sight of her sensei to the horde of doppeldangers, but did as he commanded. "Lightning bomb!" Chakra erupted from the elder leaf-nin, emitting a flash of blue light in all directions.

Every clone in a twenty meter radius fell dead, and several more out of range were too stunned to move from his lightning attack. Visibly stumbling to his feet, the copy-nin somehow managed to catch up to the group shouting, "What are you waiting for? Go!" They didn't need to be told twice.

…...

Still in midair, Shikamaru rolled his trump card in his left hand. The red capsule appeared to shine as he rolled it between his fingers. He cursed under his breath that he was clumsy enough to let Kakashi notice his little trick.

_Flashback: OC – moments ago: Shikamaru's Plan_

"_Thanks, Chouji." Shikamaru placed his hand on his partner's back in gratitude. His other hand subtly reached into his weapons pouch and grabbed the final red pill and quickly placed it in his own pocket. As he rounded his teammate, the eye of Kakashi was upon him. He wasn't worried yet, as he had been careful retrieving his friend's secret pill. _

"_Are you sure about this?" Kakashi questioned._

_Suspicion grew within the Nara. 'Does he know?' he thought. Nonetheless, he played innocent. "I am"_

"_And the other?" _

_'Shit, he knows.' Shikamaru was a millisecond from hanging his head before the copy-nin's word choice sunk in. 'He saw, but he isn't giving it away. He won't tell the others.' Realizing everyone was still waiting on his answer, he said, "Yes, that too." Kakashi gave an imperceptible nod acknowledging his choice. The Nara in turn, nodded back in gratitude for his silence._

_End Flashback_

Sakura's aim was true. When he landed he was a stone's throw away from the villain. Luckily, most of the clones were chasing his retreating teammates so only a few were nearby. 'Well, it's now or never.' he told himself.

Shikamaru swallowed the pill. The effect was instantaneous. The explosion of chakra within him was like nothing he had ever felt before. Granted, he had used regular issue soldier pills in the past. But this was on a whole new level. It felt as if his blood was coursing at a hundred miles an hour; the air around him cackled with the chakra his body couldn't contain.

Then the side-effects kicked in. He fell to his knees as the pain rocked him. His insides were on fire and he could feel his chakra system pulling itself apart. Shikamaru screamed in anguish as the burning sensation within him forced him to relieve his stomach of its contents. After another minute of this rigorous torture, the pain began to ebb. Soon, he returned to his feet as Zetsu and his clones became aware of his entrance.

'Well, I guess it is about time to see what I'm made of.' Never before had his power been so easy to access or manipulate. His shadow grew and split into a dozen pieces. The tentacles slithered along the ground catching the clones off guard. The intangible became tangible as his shadows lifted from the ground and pierced every one of the thirty or so surrounding clones. "Now it's just you and me."

…...

When the air finally cleared, the Akatsuki leader remained. His two opponents still stood before him looking worse for wear.

"Your little clones won't work on me. Show yourself." The two distractions vanished as their usefulness came to an end.

Motion came from Madara's left. He recognized Sasuke immediately. His young descendant ran in a straight line, favoring speed over unpredictability. 'Fools.' he thought.

Sasuke came on, sword in hand. Regardless of his impressive speed, Madara was prepared. The sword phased through the elder Uchiha, followed by it's wielder.

"I thought you would have learned by now, Sasuke."

"I must be a slow learner." He replied before attacking once more.

"I grow tired of this game." Madara sighed as he watched Sasuke approach. "I'm done waiting." The one eyed shinobi shot fireball after fireball at the younger Uchiha. He dodged left and right, allowing the concussion of the blasts to propel him onward at even greater speeds. Sasuke screamed as he coated his blade with electricity.

Sasuke was surprised when instead of phasing, the Akatsuki leader blocked his stirke with a kunai. An unobservable smirk came to his face. 'Wrong move. No one blocks my blade and lives.' His thought made him ill-prepared for what happened next. Less than a second after their weapons connected, Madara had his arm around his throat. 'How is this possible? He shouldn't be able to move with that lightning coursing through him!'

"Are you surprised, Sasuke? It seems I have a few more tricks up my sleeve." The masked shinobi's arm tightened, making it hard to breathe. "What did you hope to accomplish?"

"To get you to touch something, you bastard!" Naruto burst from the ground, Rasengan in hand. The orb connected with Madara's head and the force of the attack caused the man to release his grip on the young Uchiha. The villain fell to the ground and slid thirty yards before coming to a stop.

Sasuke coughed uncontrollably as he gasped for precious air. The orange-clad ninja offered his hand to get him to his feet. "Are you alright, Sasuke?"

"Why did I have to be the bait?" he complained as he accepted the help.

"You volunteered, so quit whining." Naruto answered.

Sasuke smirked. "Right. Let's finish this."

"I intend to." The figure lying on the ground stirred, then crawled to it's knees, and finally stumbled to it's feet. Madara's head was dangling by a thread. Apparently, his neck was unable to hold under the power of Naruto's jutsu. Somehow, he was still alive.

"What the hell is going on? I nailed him; I know I did!" Naruto shouted.

"It couldn't be...Edo Tensei?" Sasuke's face was pale at the impossibility before him. He had seen this technique before, at Orochimaru's hideout.

_Flashback: OC – Orochimaru's Hideout: Experiments_

_Sasuke walked the dark hallway towards his master's laboratory. He was almost always there as of late. The rhythmic tap of his feet on the stone ground echoed as he approached. The stoic shinobi entered the well lit lab and found Orochimaru's pet at the entrance. _

"_Sasuke-kun, what are you doing here? Orochimaru isn't due to train you until the afternoon." Kabuto asked._

"_That is my business, not yours." he replied._

_Kabuto sighed, "Have it your way." _

_An agonizing scream rang out as Orochimaru exited the 'patient's' room. "Sasuke-kun, you came. Good. Come with me. There is something I want you to see."_

_The Uchiha followed silently as the Snake Sannin led to him to another larger room down the hall. A man sat in the room, tied up and blindfolded. The way his head turned as they entered marked him as a shinobi. Orochimaru unrolled a scroll and pulled a vial from his pocket. He poured the contents onto the scroll and began forming a complex sequence of seals. Even with his sharingan activated, Sasuke could not follow the sannin's speed or recognize all of the seals he used to ever be able to perform the forbidden jutsu himself. _

_As he completed the last seal, Orochimaru slammed his hand down on the scroll, activating the technique. The seals pre-written on the parchment began to glow as they formed a circle around the man in the middle of the room. When the prisoner was fully encompassed, the seals grew even brighter, temporarily blinding everyone in the room. _

_When his vision returned, Sasuke struggled to keep his usual emotionless face as he observed what had occurred in the middle of the room. What once was a middle aged male, was now a young teenage female. "This is the jutsu you were telling me about?"_

"_Yes. The Edo Tensei. The power to resurrect the dead. The power to give life to those who cannot die."_

_End Flashback_

Madara's neck and face started to regenerate. His neck reoriented itself to it's original position. "So, Sasuke, you recognize the technique?" The crack of bones was evident as his spinal structure repaired on it's own. "Good. Then you know how futile your efforts are. Do you think you two surprised me with that little stunt you pulled? I let the boy hit me."

"What is he talking about, Sasuke?" Naruto asked. When the avenger kept his silence the blonde piped up again. "Oi! Answer me! What is happening?"

"Run, Naruto. We can't beat this guy."

"What do you mean?"

"Trust me, this is a battle we cannot fight." Sasuke turned to the elder Uchiha. "How? How did you learn that technique? It took Orochimaru years to discover it; and years more to perfect it."

"And who do you think he was perfecting it for?" Madara retorted.

Recognition swarmed through Naruto. "No...Orochimaru...served you?"

"It was a mutual benefit. He researched the jutsu for me and I helped him find the perfect body to use it on." The masked man's eye was on his great descendant.

"You mean me." Sasuke replied.

"Indeed. Orochimaru's research was everything I hoped it would be. His tests, especially those performed on himself, were essential to my plans."

"Your forgetting something. I killed Orochimaru. He wasn't invincible as you claim to be."

"And the world will not miss the likes of him." Madara clapped twice in mock congratulations. "While an improvement on the second Hokage's forbidden technique, Orochimaru failed to take it to the next level."

"Next level? What are you talking about?" Asked Naruto.

Apparently, Sasuke was catching on. "Orochimaru had another ability besides the one to revive the dead. He could transfer his mind, his conscious, into another living being and thus extend his life by a number of years; it is what he planned to do to me."

"Very good, Sasuke. You are beginning to understand." Madara said with a hint of pride in his voice.

Slowly connecting the dots, a rare dose of fear ran up the young Uchiha's spine. "You...couldn't have..."

"But I did." Madara interrupted. "I combined these techniques to complete the ultimate form of immortality."

Still not understanding, Naruto asked, "What is he talking about, Sasuke? I know my attack landed. Why didn't it kill him?"

"Because, Naruto, he is already dead."

Author's Note: Pretty exciting, eh? Hope you all are as excited as I am! Please review and feel free to leave your guesses as to the ending of the story. Also any comments about what you think of my writing.

thanks!

narp73


	20. Chapter 20 - Chakra Dynamics

Author's Note: Holy cow. If you want to know what really happened to Rin in the manga, check out Kakashi's wikia page. Much more insane than what I wrote in my story. I won't give it away though, go check it out! Anyway, here is chapter 20. Enjoy! And please leave a review telling me what you think! Thanks as always go out to Dinesh for making sure I don't make any stupid mistakes and giving me some pointers.

Lastly, I wanted to give a shout out to DarthPhoenixFire, 25BAM50, LadyAngel123, and nacho-chan for their reviews last chapter. Thanks guys, I really appreciate it! Now, on with the story!

Chapter 20 – Chakra Dynamics

"_Because, Naruto. He is already dead."_

Madara smiled at the younger Uchiha's answer. The clear sky above them grew clouded as Sasuke's epiphany visually sunk into the blonde. He appeared utterly confused by the statement. After a moment, he looked to his partner and asked, "What do we do, Sasuke?"

"What can we do?" he answered bluntly. Naruto whispered something in his ally's ear before falling silent and motionless.

Silence ensued. "Are you done planning yet?" The Akatsuki leader asked.

Sasuke stepped forward. "Why did you help destroy our clan?"

Madara's glare deepened. "...Your stalling."

"So? What is another ten minutes to someone who is immortal?"

Despite the sarcasm inherent in the question, it was no less true. "Are you sure you want to know?"

The avenger's countenance remained unphased. "Humor me."

"Very well. I suppose as the only other remaining Uchiha, you deserve to know." The story teller relaxed his stance before beginning his tale. "It began before Konoha was founded. I assume you are familiar with the founding of your home village?"

"I am."

"It's a lie." The boy was good at holding his emotions in check, but Madara was amused to see that surprise could still be seen by the slight shift of his weight and the tightening of his grip on his sword.

"A lie?"

"Yes. The story everyone is told is that because of the outbreak of war, the clans of the Uchiha and the Senju united and held their ground against the invaders, but that isn't what happened." Madara recalled the bloody days of his past. Those battles had been barbaric. There were no safe zones, no neutral territories, just war. It was the Uchiha against the world, just as it should have been. "The truth is I never agreed to an alliance between my clan and those peace-loving Senju."

Sasuke pondered the story before responding. "What about the first Hokage?"

"Hashirama came to me under protection as a messenger to try to persuade me to come to terms, but I refused. Eventually, he challenged me to a duel. If he won, we would agree to an alliance and if I won, he would never broach the subject again." Madara chuckled, "Honestly, I had been eager to test my skills against him for several years before that point. I would have agreed to a duel regardless of the stakes."

"Hashirama defeated you at the Valley of the End."

"Yes, he did." The memory of his defeat would haunt him til the end of time.

_Flashback – (OC: Valley of the End – Madara's Defeat)_

_It was once a flat forest of no particular distinction; merely a group of trees that separated the Land of Fire from the Land of Grass. However, it was a trait of epic battles to transform the landscape for decades to come. _

_The Senju's earth affinity allowed the legendary shinobi to avoid Madara's ultimate attack by raising the landscape, creating a cliff one hundred and fifty feet high. The Uchiha leader stared at his adversary from the deep crater created by his jutsu. _

_Hashirama countered with an excessive blast of water pouring a river forth which cascaded over the cliff in a vast waterfall. The torrent of aqueous liquid landed in the crater, turning the empty space into a lake. Madara escaped certain death by using fire to evaporate the water in his path. _

_The water was falling too fast. The water pelted the Uchiha, bruising more like a solid than a liquid. While his attention was focused above, vines from below captured his leg and flung him into the air upside-down. "Well done. You spent all that chakra just to distract me from your simple, yet effective, trap."_

"_It didn't have to be this way, Madara." Hashirama stated, appearing before him._

"_You know as well as I that this was fate." _

_A small smile came to his rival's face. "There is no fate, my friend. You chose this path. We both know you are out of chakra, do you yield?"_

"_I suppose I have no choice." The Uchiha answered, resigned._

"_Then you agree to the alliance?" Hashirama asked._

_Madara snorted, "I will not. It's a mistake. One cannot better himself by relying on the strength of others."_

"_It is not about bettering one self. It is about surviving. Surely you have heard the rumors that the Land of Stone and the Land of Lightning are forming alliances. How long do you expect even the Uchiha to last against them?"_

"_Let them try. They underestimate our Sharingan."_

_The Senju grew stern. "And you underestimate their collective strength." he softened slightly. "I thought you to be a man of honor. Will you hold to your agreement?"_

_Madara thought hard on his options. He was sorely tempted to refuse once more, but honor dictated he did not. "I will consent. The Uchiha will join you."_

_Relief was evident in Hashirama's stance as his shoulders lowered. "Thank you. You will not regret this, I promise you."_

"_The Uchiha will join you, but I will not." he finished._

"_Why?"_

"_You are the first man to defeat me in combat, and for that you have my respect. But know that I loathe you, and everything you stand for. I will honor my agreement, but I cannot and will not be subject to any alliance." Madara leaned forward to issue a final warning. "Mark my words, The Uchiha were meant for war, our eyes mean nothing in times of peace. Sooner or later, if a fight does not come to us, we will seek one out. And when that day comes, I will return."_

_End Flashback._

The sky grew darker as the approaching clouds thickened and the sun cowered behind them.

"Everyone thought I was killed, but he let me go. His false pretenses of friendship lead him to believe I was no longer a threat. After my defeat, he united the clans and became the first Hokage. He even constructed statues of us at our battlefield to remind him of our clash and my warning."

"You were right." Sasuke stated.

"Of course I was. It took longer than I expected, but eventually they returned to their nature."

"What of the massacre?" his descendant asked. It was obvious his question was regarding his participation in the destruction of their clan.

"They had no honor. A true Uchiha would have openly challenged any _worthy opponent. Backstabbing is meant for those beneath us. Your brother was the only one among them in whom I saw potential." he __answered with derision._

_"And what of me? Why let me live?"_

Madara looked at him like it should be obvious. "Simple. I had already promised you as Orochimaru's container."

"Even then? How long have you been plotting my life?" Anger was beginning to leak into the younger man's voice.

The masked ninja waved off the question. "Don't take it personally, it was necessary for my plans. Without you, Orochimaru would not have shared his research, thus prohibiting me from reaching my current state." Their first meeting had been...interesting. Regardless of the decade that had passed since that day, the memory was unique enough to stand out among the usual tedium of his life.

_Flashback (OC – Orochimaru's Exile Hideout : Two Heads are Better Than One)_

_The traps surrounding the Sannin's camp were clever. While most likely appropriate to handle any hunter-nins that the village of Konoha might send, It was not enough to stop a man of his caliber. _

"_I know you're there, you missed one of the sensors." Orochimaru said without turning around._

_As he expected. "Not unintentionally. I figured you would feel safer if you knew I was coming."_

_The snake turned at the new development, "Who are you?"_

_Madara removed his mask. "You don't recognize me? Has the academy decayed to the point where it neglects one of its founding fathers?"_

_Orochimaru focused on his visitor's countenance. "Uchiha Madara. You're still alive?"_

_He bowed mockingly, "And kicking. Now, what would one of the legendary Sannin of the Leaf be doing alone in the wilderness?"_

"_As I'm sure you are aware, I was banished."_

"_Ah, they didn't find your unique brand of research acceptable?"_

_The Sannin stopped in his tracks. "How do you know of my research?"_

"_How I know of it is irrelevant. What's important is what I intend to do with the information." Madara stated with a sly grin beneath his mask._

_Orochimaru slithered his way closer to his guest, secretly securing a weapon in his hand. "And what do you intend to do next?" The unspoken threat dripped from his mouth as his elongated tongue glided along his lower lip._

_Madara's stare deepened and his voice grew harder, "You know who I am, yet you dare reach for a weapon? Do not underestimate me. My age has not inhibited my ability to kill you." His tone returned to its usual playful level. "Have no fear, I have no intention of ratting you out. Quite the opposite in fact; I came to offer you a deal."_

_The snake slid behind the Uchiha, slowly moving from his left shoulder to his right, "A deal, you say?" He chuckled. "I'm listening." Again, almost unconsciously, his tongue salivated against his chin._

_Not fearing any attack from the exile, he continued, "Like you, I seek the means to extend my existence beyond the limitations of nature. I ask to share in your research. In return, I would provide you the funding, equipment, materials, and any 'lab rats' you might require." Madara knew how the man in front of him conducted his experiments. Many would need to be sacrificed before progress could be made._

_Orochimaru took a moment to consider the potential benefits before inevitably responding. "And what would you have of me?"_

"_Simple, you keep me updated on your progress and allow me to share in your findings."_

_The founder could see the cogs working in his foul little mind. The funding alone must tempt him, but like anyone seeking power, he would be unwilling to share it. He cared not, he had another ace up his sleeve._

"_Not good enough." Orochimaru finally responded. "It may take me longer, but I can find my own funding. I see no lasting gain in accepting your proposal."_

_'Good, I was hoping he wasn't a fool like the others.' Madara thought. Any man unwilling to think through such an offer to arrive at the same conclusion sadly came to an early death, as had happened many times. That he was willing to sacrifice for his research meant he was more likely to complete it successfully. Madara would not fund fools._

"_What if I were to tell you I could simultaneously give you two of your greatest desires?" he asked._

_Expecting the conversation to be over, Orochimaru returned his gaze to the intruder. "And what might that be?"_

"_The destruction of the Uchiha clan, and as a gift, the Sharingan."_

_No amount of ninja training or experience could prepare the Sannin for that response. He didn't even bother hiding the leer on his face as he rethought the arrangement. "Those Uchiha always were too arrogant for their own good. No offense intended, of course."_

"_Of course."_

_The snake could not stop pacing as he thought his predicament through. "You'll destroy the entire clan?"_

_Madara nodded, "With some assistance, yes. Only myself and two others will remain alive. You need not know all of the details._

"_Why two?"_

_A wide smile came to the Uchiha, "Why, one for each of us, of course."_

_Understanding dawned on the Sannin. The contagious grin infected him as well. "Ah, brilliant. Very well then, I accept your offer. At last, the Sharingan will be mine!"_

_End Flashback_

Thunder clapped in the sky providing a brief flash in an otherwise darkened day. Madara observed the young shinobi before him glance upwards to view the condition of the weather. "Is this what the reason you stalled? For weather?"

Sasuke returned his gaze to his opponent. "I had to wait for the air to heat up due to your dragon and my Amaterasu."

"I see. It won't work. Your jutsu's greatest strength will be your undoing."

"We shall see." Sasuke replied as he lifted his arm towards the heavens. Lightning coursed from the sky following the path of his arm to his target. Surprise befell the avenger when the expected explosion didn't occur. Rather, the lightning that should have struck the ancient Uchiha was balanced precariously in his hand.

"Kirin, it truly is a brilliant technique. Instead of using chakra to gather the massive amount of electricity, you use nature itself and merely direct the attack with your control. Even the Land of Lightning doesn't possess such a powerful jutsu of their own element." Madara could barely keep his eye on the bright, cackling current in his hand. "But, I have a greater control of lightning than you."

The elder Uchiha directed Kirin towards his descendant. The speed of the attack left little room to evade, but somehow, Naruto appeared in the path, arms crossed ready to defend his friend. This time it was Madara's turn to experience bewilderment when his redirected Kirin vanished without a trace.

…...

The shadow master stood with remnants of pain still coursing through his body as a result of taking the last of the Akimichi soldier pills. His opponent, Zetsu, did not appear to be worried that so many of his clones had been destroyed by a single stroke. Shikamaru initiated, charging his enemy head on. The leaf nin barely felt the chakra drain as he entered the aura of the unmoving pale shinobi. The exchange was short, as it was meant more to allow him to move to have the sun at his back.

"What makes you think you can defeat me alone when you failed to do so with your team?" Zetsu asked.

Shikamaru never stopped fighting as he answered the question, "I know how your leech ability works. The more people we have, the more chakra you steal. I stand a better chance of killing you alone."

"If you say so." The Akatsuki replied before animating his own shadow. "Now your abilities are mine."

Fifteen arms sprang from the ground, dwarfing the leaf-nin's own eight. The shadows danced around one another. They clashed like vipers, each trying to dissolve the other by pinning it to the ground. One of the Nara's veils dodged an attempt at a quick jab and countered with a downward slam which succeeded in destroying the offending shadow.

Shikamaru smirked, "Jutsu's are tools, just like a kunai or shuriken. It is how they are used that separate the good ninja's from the great ones." Another of the Akatsuki's shadow's fell to his own. "You may have the ability to control your shadows as I do, but I have trained for years to use these abilities; you have not."

The genius made a quick count; he still had seven tentacles to Zetsu's thirteen; almost half. He might be able to count on the Akatsuki's inexperience once or twice more, but it would be unwise to rely on it. The enemy was skilled enough to surely have a quick learning curve, which meant the longer this dragged out, the smaller his advantage of experience would become. 'I need to end this quickly.'

Shikamaru's left most shadow rushed in alone, where it was easily dispatched by four of his opponent's. 'Good, I figured he wouldn't have mastered using multiple of them yet.' Similar to the fingers on the hand, only the most dextrous could use each finger individually. Likewise, controlling each shadow required a level of multitasking that most did not possess. The excessive use of force against his one tentacle created a momentary gap in Zetsu's defenses that allowed the Nara to pick off the four attackers cleanly; seven against nine.

While still at a slight numerical disadvantage, Shikamaru was much more confident in the odds. This was his favorite part; the matching of wits. Two minds colliding to see which was smarter and faster. It all came back to Shogi. Knowing each pieces strengths and weaknesses was only half of the game. The more important half was knowing your opponent, and how he would move.

With his superior numbers, Zetsu managed to overpower another of the genius's tentacles; six to nine. Time was running short, already roughly a quarter of the chakra provided by the red pill had been either used, or drained by his opponent. It was now or never. Shikamaru advanced all six of his arms in a "V" formation. The Akatsuki was indeed a quick learner. His own shadows formed a semi circle to prevent a flank.

Luckily, that wasn't what he had in mind. All six of his shadows converged on the center, tackling the middle three shadows with abandon. Zetsu's tentacle's on the perimeter altered their path and took Shikamaru's force from behind. Five of his shadows fell, but not before the sixth had reached it's target.

A victorious smile came to the Nara's face. "Shadow Possession Jutsu is a success." The pale Akatsuki's tentacles disintegrated, leaving nothing but a single dark line connecting the two shinobi.

"I didn't expect you to go for me." Zetsu stated with no emotion in his voice.

"That's why it worked. Go for the source, not the symptom. Even if I destroyed your shadow, you could always have summoned more." he replied.

"So, what do you intend to do now?"

"You'll see." Shikamaru started to run with the pale ninja hot on his tail due to the link they shared. It took only a few minutes before their destination came into sight. For the first time during their encounter, Zetsu showed the briefest of emotions; fear. He never would have seen it if he wasn't looking for it in the first place.

The trees ended, revealing the wasteland caused by the initial battle between Naruto and Madara. When the Nine-Tails chakra overtook the blonde, it burned in him so brightly that it destroyed all of the nearby vegetation. Nothing lived within a quarter mile radius; the perfect place to fight someone who leeches on life.

When they arrived at the center of the dead zone, they halted. Shikamaru took a moment to catch his breath. 'Now less than a quarter of my rejuvenated chakra remains. Shouldn't be much longer now.' he mused.

"What makes you so sure this will work?" Zetsu questioned.

"The law of heat transference, also known as the second law of thermodynamics." Shikamaru explained. "It is an expression that over time, heat flows so that eventually everything in a closed system will reach a thermal equilibrium, with heat traveling from hot to cold. Pour a cold glass of water into a bucket of warm water, and before long, the bucket of water will be the same, slightly cooler temperature. Similarly, right now, I have more chakra than you. But soon, you and I will reach a point where we share the same amount of chakra."

The Nara paused before continuing. He wished he had brought a smoke. "Once we reach that state, the two of us will slowly drain the remaining chakra until inevitably, we both die from chakra exhaustion."

"Self sacrifice? That is your plan?"

"Wouldn't be the first time." The shadow wielder quipped.

_Flashback (Manga 118: Forest Outside Konoha – Shikamaru's Sacrifice)_

_While the three shinobi and pakkun chased Sasuke over the walls of Konoha, the ninja dog sensed that they were being followed by nine sound nin. After discussing their options, Shikamaru concluded and described why a typical ambush would most likely fail. "And so, after that analysis, there is only one thing we can do now..."_

"_One thing?" Sakura asked._

_The Nara nodded. "We need to create a diversion that looks as if we were going to ambush them. One of us will have to remain behind...and delay them by faking an ambush."_

"_In other words, a decoy." the kunoichi said, beginning to grasp his point._

"_That's right. If they are stalled they won't be able to locate the remaining three. If we do this, we will most likely lose the trackers, but the one who stays behind will probably..." He paused before finishing his sentence to indicate the seriousness of the situation, "die."_

_Naruto and Sakura were speechless at the consequences of his words, so he continued. "So, who's going to do it?" He took a moment to look at each of his companions. "The dog's necessary to chase after Sasuke, in which case..."_

_The two members of team seven briefly looked at one another. Sakura was the first to break eye contact, knowing she wasn't capable of fulfilling the role. "Okay." Naruto began, "I understand. I'll-"_

"_I guess I'm the only one." Shikamaru interrupted. His head hung slightly in resignation._

_Sakura looked surprised, "Shikamaru?" _

"_Why you?" Naruto asked._

"_It's better than annihilation, isn't it? Besides, if you think about the guy that can fulfill the job of the decoy successfully and most likely survive, then I'm the only one in the bunch who can do it." He landed on the next tree branch capable of holding his weight. "Because the Shadow Binding Jutsu was originally a jutsu used as a delaying tactic, you know."_

_Naruto and Sakura landed next to him, hesitant on what to say._

"_Well, I'll catch up to you later so, hurry up and go!" The shadow user yelled in an attempt to get them moving._

_His friends started to leave, but Naruto turned back. "Shikamaru, We'll be depending on you!" The rest of the team left, for what he assumed would be the last time he would see them._

_End Flashback_

That had been the first time he had chosen to do more than the minimum as a shinobi. Every other time when it became too difficult, he would give up. But this time, with the lives of his friends on the line, he just didn't have it in him to quit.

His rapidly approaching death was beginning to dawn on him. It was only be sheer luck that Asuma had stumbled on them in time to save him from certain death back then. Surely a man couldn't be that lucky twice. Besides, he disliked luck. It was nice to have, but you couldn't rely on it.

It wouldn't be much longer now. He could tell that he was almost out of chakra. It was becoming troublesome to maintain his hold on the Akatsuki. Shikamaru slowly moved his right foot backward, then his left, until he was outside of the radius of Zetsu's chakra absorption. Now all that connected them was his shadow. 'Time for the finale.'

He pulled from his pouch the last of his exploding tags and threw it at the pale ninja's feet. Shikamaru canceled his signature jutsu and dove for what little cover there was available. The concussion knocked him off his feet where he landed hard on his left leg; he was pretty sure it was broken. His opponent didn't get off so easy.

Zetsu's leg had been blown completely off and his entire right side was black and burnt. His passive healing ability attempted to repair the damage, but for perhaps the first time in his life, he didn't have enough chakra to complete the task. His skin begam to constantly dissolve and regenerate as if trying to prioritize what to heal first. One of his arms vanished in order to provide the cells required to heal his head. His other leg did the same as his chest and right flank repaired shortly after.

When it was all over, only an unrecognizable creature remained. Now that Shikamaru was outside of the Akatsuki's aura, there should be no way for him to acquire any chakra, and therefore, no way to heal himself. The Nara grunted. The after-effects of the red pill were beginning to kick in. He struggled to maintain consciousness as he crawled further from the leech. He made it less than ten feet before succumbing to his injuries and fading into oblivion.

Author's Note: I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I think the flashback to when Shikamaru sacrificed himself is key to when he 'grew up' and started taking responsibility as a shinobi. Please review and let me know what you thought! I respond to all reviews, so fire away! There will be two more chapters and an epilogue left assuming all goes well. See you all next chapter!

narp73


	21. Chapter 21 - To Kill a God

Author's Note: Chapter 21 for your viewing pleasure. Please review and tell me your thoughts on the final battle and anything else you can think of. I always reply to reviews. Thanks everyone!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 21 – To Kill A God

They arrived in time to see Sasuke lift his hand to the thunderous sky and cast the lightning downward. Hinata and Kakashi halted along side her to marvel at Sasuke's ultimate jutsu. Never had she seen the elements commanded in such a way. Sakura winced, expecting debris to launch in their direction, but it never happened. When she opened her eyes again, Madara had claimed the attack as his own and hurled it back toward it's originator.

The kunoichi had seen Naruto, in his sage mode, charge in heedless of the danger to himself to the defense of his friend.

"_How can I become Hokage if I can't even save one friend?"_

'Naruto...This would be a much better world if there were more like you.' She smiled, 'But then, there never could be anyone like you.' The lightning streaked towards her teammates and the flash it emitted temporarily blinded her. By the time her sight returned, Naruto and Sasuke remained unharmed.

At first Sakura was confused by what happened, but the grunt from her right helped her put the pieces together. Kakashi must have used his Kamui and opened a dimensional rift that swallowed the devastating jutsu. The copy nin must be on the brink of chakra exhaustion. Even after fighting for hours against Zetsu and his horde, he still managed to have enough energy to use the Mangekyo Sharingan.

Although, it obviously taxed him to do so. His posture was hunched, his breathing ragged, and his hand covered his left eye which was bleeding freely. The kunoichi went to him and attempted to stop the bleeding, but it wasn't a normal injury. Damage caused by internal chakra couldn't be healed as easily by external chakra. Eventually, her sensei waved her off, most likely to conserve what little chakra she had.

Sakura looked back to where her old teammates still stood. That Sasuke had returned to help them caused her to give a brief sigh in relief. Ever the genius, the raven-haired shinobi had already locked eyes with Kakashi, recognizing him as their savior. She saw them nod to each other in mutual respect before returning their attention to the source of all of their problems.

Naruto, on the other hand, still looked bewildered that he hadn't been struck by the colossal lightning bolt. When he turned and met her eye, she saw his face light up as it always did when he saw her. Aside from bruises and scratches, he didn't appear to be seriously harmed. A huge weight she didn't even realize she was carrying seemed to lift from her.

"What's the status here?" Kakashi asked.

Sasuke was the first to reply. "Worse than you might think. Not only is he nearly impossible to hit, but even if an attack lands it doesn't phase him."

"What do you mean?" Hinata questioned.

"He somehow combined Orochimaru's mind transfer with the Edo-Tensei. Naruto hit him dead on with his Rasengan and he just stood up like it was nothing. He's basically been toying with us this whole time."

"Edo-Tensei? It seems the Second Hokage's jutsu will never stop haunting us."

"Wait, so Madara's soul is inside of a dead body? Whose body?" Sakura questioned.

"Whose indeed. I thought you of all people would recognize it, Kakashi." Madara quipped before removing his mask.

The blood drained from the copy-nin's face. That hair, that face, that eye. "Obito- It can't be."

The dead man chuckled, "I wouldn't dream of inhabiting any body other than an Uchiha. Unfortunately, Konoha is rather diligent about disposing of ninja who are killed in action, particularly those of a clan as prestigious as ours. It seems they grew a little too lax during the Third Shinobi War."

Kakashi's knuckles went white as he clenched his fist, "Damn you, Madara."

The last of the Akatsuki smiled before shrugging, "I was only borrowing his body until my preparations for Itachi were complete. However, now that your student here killed him, I've been forced to change my plans." His eye hungrily found Sasuke's as he finished his sentence.

"I won't let you have him." Naruto said defiantly, "He's my friend."

"And how many friends have you brought to die for you, Naruto?" The ancient Uchiha interrupted impatiently.

The blonde looked down in shame, "Too many have died already. I won't let you kill anyone else."

Madara stared hard at his target before replying. "I don't know what world you live in, but in this world, I hold all the cards. In this world, Naruto, I am a god."

As Sakura's eyes hovered on her newly admitted love, she couldn't help but see the gleam in his eye. She had seen that look before. The blonde had worn it many times before right before pulling off one of his crazy stunts. Naruto had an idea.

"Sasuke, how do you kill a god?" Naruto said with a grin.

The Uchiha nearly snorted, "You can't, dobe, they're immortal."

"Exactly." Leaving his friend slightly confused, he connected his fingers to perform his signature jutsu. "Mass Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

Two hundred sage clones popped into existence, each one with toad-like eyes and a wide grin as large as the original's. Naruto ordered his copies to attack and they did as commanded. Some began creating Rasengans, while others threw a wave of kunai. Madara released a wall of chakra that halted the projectiles and blew any nearby clones away. The Akatsuki made it look like child's play as he took out the sage doppelgangers one by one. One of the clones managed to stick a kunai in his back, but was immediately back-handed and had no time to enjoy his 'victory.'

The storm that formed Sasuke's Kirin still raged above them, matching the atmosphere of the battle below. The real Naruto ran up to the rest of the leaf nin, followed by Sasuke, and asked, "Where's Shikamaru?" His eyes were back to their usual blue. He must have used all of his Sage chakra on those clones.

"He said he had a plan and that the rest of us should go ahead and join up with you." Hinata answered.

The blonde appeared worried about the genius, but soon enough he again focused on the group in front of him. "Okay. If he has a plan, then that usually means bad news for whoever he's up against. What about Chouji and Kiba? They were with you when my clone disappeared."

"I sent them on an errand back to the village. Call it a back up plan for Shikamaru." Kakashi responded with a wink to Sakura.

Naruto turned to the oldest member of the group. "Can you do that dimension jutsu again?"

Kakashi hesitated before answering, "Maybe. I think I have enough chakra to do so, but I'm not sure how much more my Sharingan can take. Assuming I don't die of chakra exhaustion, I would risk losing my Sharingan altogether."

"Can you do it?" The authority with which Naruto spoke was so different than the blonde's usual care-free voice. He truly sounded like a leader. He made you want to do your best, made you succeed where otherwise you would have failed.

The copy nin stood straight and nodded, "Yes, I can do it. I hope you know what you are doing, Naruto. We're only going to get one chance at this. If he evades the rift, I won't be able to do it a second time."

"Let me worry about that."

Some profound understanding seem to occur in Sakura's sensei. "Naruto, you cannot do this."

Sakura looked to the blonde, unwilling to accept the truth she knew in her heart. "What's he talking about Naruto?"

The usually quite Hinata spoke, "He's going to sacrifice himself."

Sakura was hard-pressed to hold back the wave of emotions inside of her. She felt like her body was a dam holding back the mighty force of the water at bay. However, without Naruto as her support, a crack appeared in her defense, allowing some of the turmoil free.

His eyes never left Kakashi. "I'm the one he wants. When he comes for me, he'll be vulnerable."

"Naruto-" She started.

"Sasuke landed the first blow when he almost took the Fox. It'll work, I know it will."

The copy-nin placed his hand on the sage's shoulder, "Even if that's true, The cost is too high."

"One ninja is a small price to pay to be rid of Madara."

"You are more than just a ninja, Naruto. You are a symbol to our village." Kakashi replied.

The jinchuuriki shrugged, "Whatever I am, I have to end this."

"Naruto, you can't be serious!" "Sakura screamed. The crack in her emotional wall became a gap, letting a high-pressure stream of stress and disbelief through. "You never give up! You'll find a way, you always do!"

"I have. This is the only way, Sakura." The blonde replied as a gust of wind swept the area. Several cries rang out as a dozen clones were wiped from the face of the earth in a giant swell of flame. Already, almost half of the original two hundred clones had been vanquished. More copies of the blonde shinobi swarmed the ancient Uchiha, hiding him from sight once more.

Hinata noticed the quickly dwindling number of clones. "Naruto, whatever you plan to do, we're running out of time."

He nodded, "You're right. Keep an eye on that cousin of yours for me."

"I will." The Hyuuga heiress approached and embraced him. "Thank you, Naruto."

Returning the hug, the blonde asked, "For what?"

"Peace." She answered softly. Sakura knew she meant more than the end of the war. The orange clad shinobi had brought the kunoichi inner peace as well, and that was just as important.

Naruto released Hinata and turned to Sasuke, "Well? Any last words, teme?"

With his usual arrogant smirk he responded, "I guess we'll never know who's stronger, eh, dobe?"

The blonde smiled, "You were always stronger. Do you remember, Sasuke, back then when we were learning the tree climbing exercise? I was always jealous that I had to work my ass off to do what came naturally to you."

Her other teammate nodded, "I was worried that you were gaining on me. We sharpened each other, like iron sharpens iron."

"You always drove me to push myself to my limit. In the end, it still wasn't enough. I'd have died a dozen times against you if it hadn't been for this." Naruto ,said placing his hand over the Kitsune's seal.

The Uchiha shrugged, "We all use the tools we are given. I trained myself to use my Sharingan, and you trained to use the Demon's chakra.

Sakura watched the exchange with joy in her heart; the dam momentarily forgotten. In that moment, with Naruto and Sasuke quibbling over who was stronger, Team Seven was what it used to be.

"Take care of Sakura-chan for me, will ya?"

"She can take care of herself now, ya know."

"I know, but an extra set of eyes wouldn't hurt."

Sasuke caved, "I'll do what I can."

Another loud cry came from the distance as one clone with an Oodama Rasengan charged Madara. The Uchiha raised his hand to cast another fireball, but his arm was seized by a second and third clone. The clone with the Rasengan leaped into the air and attacked the masked shinobi and the attached clones. The copies were blown away as the Akatsuki leader was knocked back. The remaining forty or so clones didn't give him the luxury to return to his feet before continuing their attack.

Realizing that time was running out Sasuke held out his arm, "Good luck...brother."

Naruto smiled before grasping his forearm, "Thanks, Sasuke."

Kakashi walked up to the pair and again placed his hand on the blonde's shoulder. "You may never get to fulfill your dream of becoming Hokage, but the whole village will acknowledge you for this, I promise, Naruto-sama." The jounin bowed before the teenager. Sakura was awed by the amount of respect shown by their sensei. Adding the 'Sama' honorific to Naruto's name implied that he held a higher status than the ex-ANBU member. The only person that she could think of that the copy-nin had used that phrase on was the Hokage. Combined with the bow, it was obvious that the leader of Team Seven held his student in the highest regard. One breach in her wall led to several as her emotions became harder and harder to keep under control.

Naruto was beaming from ear to ear. At least he had enough sense to bow in return before replying, "Thank you, sensei. I never could have gotten this far without you."

His eyes glanced at Sakura as he finished speaking. Kakashi chuckled, "Go ahead, I need to focus anyway."

As he slowly walked towards her, her heart rate sped up. Despite all the feelings welling up inside of her, she couldn't get any words to come out of her mouth. After a small awkward silence, Naruto raised his hand to scratch the back of his head. "Sakura-chan, I'd give almost anything to spend more time with you."

Her dam crumbled. Unleashing all of her thoughts at once, she bounded into his arms and hugged him for all she was worth. Words still escaped her as they held one another. She finally stuttered out the only thing that came to mind, "So, I must be a pretty good catch then, huh?"

"Well, I wouldn't put it like-Ack!" Sakura had tightened her grip on him to the point she could feel the tension in his bones. "Yeah, you are."

"That's better." She said innocently as she loosened her grip to more comforting level. They should have had so much more time together. If only Madara didn't force this ultimatum on him, and worse, if only she had noticed her feelings for him sooner. She should have noticed so long ago.

_Flashback – (Shippuuden Episode 74: Sakura's Apartment – What the Heart Wants)_

_Sakura returned to her apartment after dropping off more of her homemade soldier pills for Naruto to help with his rigorous training with Kakashi and Yamato. She sat on her legs on her bed and observed the crescent moon out her window. "The moon is so pretty."_

_She sighed. The breeze picked up and knocked over a photo on her night stand. Leaning over to pick it up, she noticed it was the photo they took of Team Seven so long ago. Her memories swam of her and her teammates. She remembered when he had been the first to climb to the top branch in the tree climbing exercise. Naruto had been so proud of her, even going so far as to call her the girl of his dreams. Sasuke merely looked shocked that she was capable of completing something before he could._

_Next came a more recent memory of her conversation with Iruka, her old academy teacher. 'Everyone's changing,' he had said. He's right, we have all changed. Naruto's pursuing Sasuke-kun and undergoing training that no one else could do. _

_'The only things I can do are small and insignificant.' She thought, not for the first time. _

_Yamato's voice came back to her. 'It's not the size of what you do for him that matters. What really matters are your feelings for Naruto.'_

_She looked back and forth between the images of Naruto and Sasuke. 'Who do I really love? Who is my most precious person? Tears began to streak down her face as she posed the difficult questions to herself. A shooting star zoomed through the night sky. She wondered if Naruto was watching as well._

_End Flashback_

She should have noticed back then, but she crunched her emotions down time and time again, putting everything else before it, assuming there would always be time for romance later. Now here she was, in the arms of the man she realized she loved, ans she was about to lose him. "I'm so proud of you, Naruto-kun. I know your clueless at times, and loud, and obnoxious-"

"Hey!"

"But I love you. God, I love you." She finished.

Naruto smiled, "If I lived a thousand years, I'd never get sick of hearing you say that." He was pleasantly interrupted as her lips met his in a fiery kiss. Sakura poured all of herself into the kiss, expressing her fears, her anger, and most importantly, her love.

"Or that." Time stopped for the two of them. Despite the chaos around them, her man looked completely at ease.

The moment was interrupted as one of his clones landed harshly next to the couple. It took only a few seconds for it to vanish in a puff of smoke, but it was more than long enough to permanently imprint the image of the blonde's dying face in her mind. The reminder of what was about to occur shook her from her reverie. Sakura unconsciously squeezed him tighter.

….

The swirl of chakra was astounding. Naruto and his bright, warm energy clashed with the dark power of the Akatsuki, creating a rainbow of colors in the sky like fireworks that only she could see. Through her Byakugan, the atmosphere was luminous as Madara and the clones exchanged blows. One of the sapphire clones was swallowed by the Uchiha's overwhelming strength.

She shifted her gaze to Sakura and Naruto holding one another. The blonde's light blue chakra and the kunoichi's sage green chakra combined into a beautiful aqua like that of the ocean. Even their chakra fit perfectly together. Sometimes Hinata wished that others could see the world the way the Hyuuga could. Seeing the way chakra moved brought a whole different perspective to the way she viewed the world.

….

"Naruto, times running out." Sasuke said, interrupting the moment.

The blonde sighed, "I know." Reluctantly, he slowly let go of the pink-haired ninja, giving her one final kiss on the forehead.

He only made it a couple of steps before Sakura spoke up, "Naruto..." He paused. "Wherever you're going..." Even the battle became silent in anticipation of her words, "Kick his ass."

Naruto's lips curled up in a grin. Without turning back, he held out his left hand and gave her a thumbs up. He returned his full attention to Madara in time to see him single-handedly holding the last of his clones in the air by the throat. The Akatsuki's eye was seething raw hatred; there would be no more stalling. Madara tightened his grip, and with a choking gasp, his victim vanished.

The two ninja stood motionless staring at each other for several moments, neither saying a word. Finally, Naruto created a Rasengan and began to jog forward, slowly at first, but gaining speed. Madara also began to close the distance between them. When he reached a sprint, the adrenaline coursing through him gave the perception of time slowing around him. His footsteps seemed to echo around him and his mind was racing with what he assumed would be his last thoughts.

He knew his teammates were watching him for what would be the last time. 'Sasuke, you will always be the closest thing I have to a brother, and Hinata a sister. 'Kakashi-sensei, some of the best times I've ever had have been at your side in the heat of battle and learning from you.' His final thought was of her. 'Sakura-chan, I hope you can find happiness. I love you.'

In the periphery of his vision, he thought he saw something move. Taking a quick glance, he could have sworn he saw Aki, the sorceress who first told him of what was to come. She made no move and said nothing, but somehow he knew that she was glad for the way events turned out; that in the end, he would succeed in ridding the world of Madara Uchiha.

Nearly upon his enemy, Naruto ducked his outreached hand and slammed the blue orb of chakra into the dead man's chest. Despite tearing into his flesh, Madara felt no pain as he reached down and grabbed the jinchuuriki by throat as he had his clone moments ago. The feral scream he let out rang through the forest, but he forced himself to keep pushing more power into his jutsu.

"Why don't you just give up?" Madara asked, "You cannot win."

Memories of his master, Jiraiya, and his namesake plagued his mind.

_Flashback (Shippuuden Episode 128: Tales of a Gutsy Ninja)_

_The smoke bombs ignited, obscuring the nearby area. The slight advantage proved futile, as he still was unable to get past his enemy's defenses. When the haze cleared, the leaf nin was kneeling at the feet of his opponent. _

"_Give it up." the black clad warrior ordered._

_Gasping for breath, the shinobi managed to speak, "May I say one thing?"_

"_I don't care to listen!" His opponent shouted before rushing forward with a kunai, pinning him to a tree. "Die already!"_

"_Give up..." the clone grumbled, before dispersing from the wound. The enemy ninja's eyes shot open as he realized his error. The real warrior lifted his arm before finishing his advice. "Give up on me giving up!" The downward chop struck his opponent in the back of the neck, knocking him to the ground._

_Unable to rise, the defeated ninja said, "Even if you bring me down, another assassin will attack the village." With a wounded chuckle, he continued, "As long as we are cursed to live in this ninja world, there will be no peace." _

_The leaf nin remained unphased by his words. "Then, I will break that curse! If there is such a thing as peace, I'll seize it! I'll never give up!"_

_Awed by the victor's determination, the black clad shinobi asked, "Who are you?"_

_Before responding, The warrior from the village hidden in the leaves extended his hand to help his opponent to his feet. "My name, is Naruto."_

_End Flashback_

Naruto gritted his teeth, "Give up, on me giving up!"

He saw the rift created by his sensei open just a few feet behind the ancient Uchiha. Urging himself to ignore the pain, Naruto pressed on, slowly pushing Madara back toward the portal. The blonde could feel the Fox being ripped from the seal. Blood poured from his chin, but he continued anyway. Six more inches, then six more, only two feet to go.

Looking again toward his goal, he noticed the portal decrease in size. Kakashi was running out of chakra, he had to hurry. 'One more push, come on. You've never quit your whole life, don't start now. With a final cry, he shoved with all of his might and the both of them tumbled through the rift together and into darkness.

Author's Note: And there it is! Madara and Naruto are gone! Exciting twist, right? The prophecy came true, in a way. Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. There will be one more chapter and most likely an epilogue. PLEASE REVIEW! The next chapter will be especially hard as I will be trying to close any loopholes that may exist. If you have any questions about the story, or suggestions, or praise, or even constructive criticism, I would greatly appreciate you leaving a review! I respond to all reviews and I check my email often.

Thanks everyone!

narp73


	22. Chapter 22 - A New Age

Author's Note: Hey everyone! These chapters are getting harder and harder to write as this story comes closer to an end. This chapter is 1 ½ times the size of any of the other chapters, because I didn't want to spplit it into two chapters. I revised the ending to the chapter like three times with my beta guy Dinesh, and that's why it took so long to post.

As always, thanks to Exxcaliburr, DarthPhoenixFire, T0nyblu, and 25BAM50 for reviewing. I seriously enjoyed reading and responding to your thoughts! Anyway, I hope you all enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Chapter 22 – A New Age

Ino entered room 204 of the Konoha hospital. It would be the last room she would check before leaving for the day. She always made sure that he was her first and last patient of the day. Sometimes she would come and sit with his sleeping form even on her precious days off. Occasionally she saw others come to visit him as well. Sakura was especially consistent about spending time with him at least twice a week. However, none was more diligent than Chouji. Day or night, sometimes even during lunchtime, he would be here at his side, waiting for him to wake up. When she asked why he stayed, Chouji's only response was that Shikamaru would have done the same for him.

The kunoichi checked the heart monitor first, it was slightly faster than usual, but it wasn't unusual for the heartbeat of a coma patient to spike occasionally. Next she went to the IV to make sure his fluids were feeding him as they should. Seeing no problems with any of the equipment or any obvious signs of change, she sighed and went to the window to check the weather outside.

The day was bright and sunny and there were still several hours of sunlight before the day's end. Perhaps she would go to the market and grab some fresh vegetables to cook for dinner and then stop by her mom's flower shop and water the plants. The shop was her safe place. The building was surprisingly untouched compared to the damage the rest of the village after the Akatsuki attack. 'I guess beautiful things can thrive even in the worst of times.' she thought with another sigh.

"You're thinking about your mom's garden, aren't you?"

Ino turned with a start, "Shikamaru! You're awake!"

"Well, the alternative would be I'm talking in my sle-" He was interrupted when she rushed over and smothered him in a hug.

Shikamaru coughed, "Ino, I don't think nurses are supposed to suffocate their patients..."

"Right, sorry."

The Nara began pushing himself up higher in the bed straining as he tested his underused muscles.

"Shikamaru, you shouldn't move too much just yet."

"Sitting up hardly counts as moving too much." he replied dryly.

"Well, at least let me help you." Ino grabbed him under the arm and pulled him to his desired position.

A long silence ensued. "How long was I out?"

"Eleven days."

He nodded. Another pause endured before he slumped back down with a smile on his face.

"Well? Aren't you going to ask what happened? Aren't you curious? I thought you couldn't stand not knowing things." she said playfully.

"I know what happened. He did it." he said with a chuckle. "He really did it."

Ino raised an eyebrow, "How could you possibly know? You've been in a coma for a week and a half!"

"Because I'm still alive." He responded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "The only way someone would have come back for me is if Naruto won. Where is he? I want to talk to him."

Ino's whole posture drooped at his question. She wasn't sure if she would ever get used to life without the hyperactive ninja. "He-he never came back. He's gone, Shikamaru."

His head turned toward her with a start, "Gone? What happened?"

Shikamaru could tell from Ino's stiffened stance that something bad had happened. The way Ino's body was turned slightly away from him told him betrayed her reluctance to talk about whatever it was; the grief was still all too near. He could only assume the worst and the worst was unthinkable.

"Told you that you couldn't stand not knowing" she murmured half-heartedly. What would have been a playful jab lacked humor and failed to ease the tension.

"Ino, tell me."

"Okay, okay. Naruto used himself as bait to lure Madara into position so Kakashi could use his Kamui to create a portal to another dimension. Hinata told me that Naruto threw both Madara and himself into the gate."

She could see the gears spinning in his mind. Not for the first time, she wondered what it must be like inside his head. What thoughts occupied his mind while hers were filled with roses and lilacs? His voice interrupted her thoughts, "I see. Who's in charge of the village at the moment?"

"As far as I know, the elders are running the village until they choose a new Hokage."

"Hm." He said absentmindedly.

The door to the room opened and Chouji entered holding a bag of what she could only assume to be his dinner. He must have grabbed it planning on eating it here instead of skipping another meal.

"Ino? What are you still doing here? I thought your shift ended already?"

The kunoichi smiled and nodded in the patient's direction. It took a moment for him to realize that the person he came to visit was awake, but his eyes lit up and his smile brightened the room. "Shikamaru! It's about time you woke up!"

The Nara grinned in return, "Chouji, it's good to see you, or anything for that matter."

The large man approached his friend and clasped his arm, "I told you I'd come back for you."

"Then I guess that makes us even." The two men smirked at their inside joke.

"Alright, boys, I can tell when I'm not wanted. I'm glad you're back, Shikamaru." Ino said as she headed towards the door.

"Later, Ino. And thanks for looking out for me." he responded. With a final wave goodbye, she was out the door and the remaining teammates enjoyed a comfortable silence for a time. However, Shikamaru had to ask the question that had been bothering him.

"What happened after I passed out?"

Chouji thought for a moment, "I don't know much about what happened to you. All I know is what I saw."

_Flashback (OC: Outskirts of the Valley of the End – Zetsu's Bane)_

_Trusting in Shikamaru to handle Zetsu on his own, the remaining five members of the squad rushed to where Naruto and Madara were battling. Kakashi had already caught up to them from guarding the rear, "Kiba, Chouji, I need you." The two shinobi fell behind, letting the ladies take point._

"_What do you need?" Kiba asked._

"_I have a task for the two of you that might help Shikamaru, you interested?"_

"_Anything!" Chouji answered without hesitation._

"_You know that the stone surrounding the village is created with seals to make them impervious to chakra, right?"_

"_Of course we know that! What's your point?" Kiba shot back._

_The copy-nin continued, "Well, in my apartment there is a box made with the same chakra-immune seals. It was originally made to house forbidden scrolls, but I believe it will work for this purpose as well."_

"_What purpose?" Chouji questioned._

"_Just go, you'll figure it out soon enough. Trust me."_

_Kiba looked confused, "Why us? Why not one of the girls?"_

_Kakashi rolled his eye, "Because, Kiba, you are the fastest of us, and Chouji is his teammate. As for why not the girls, if you want to ask Sakura to go in your stead, be my guest."_

_The penetrating glare the kunoichi gave him was enough for him to get the point. "Okay, okay, we're going."_

_End Flashback_

"What happened next?" The patient eagerly asked.

"After Kiba and I grabbed the item we were asked, we returned to where we left you, but you had already left. Kiba followed your scent until we found you lying on the ground."

Shikamaru listened intently to his tale, "And?"

Chouji frowned, trying to think of how to describe what happened next, "It was the strangest thing; Zetsu didn't even look human anymore. He looked like he was turning into a puddle."

The genius nodded as if he understood, "He didn't have enough chakra to maintain his shape." Seeing the confused face of his teammate, he continued, "Zetsu relied on his environment and others around him for chakra. When those weren't present, his body started eating it itself in an effort to acquire the chakra a body needs to survive. Just like how you burn body fat when you run low on energy. That's why his corpse was so deformed."

The large ninja thought some more, "I guess that explains the twitching."

"Twitching? You mean he was trying to reform?"

"Yeah, when Kiba and I got close to see if you were okay, what was left of Zetsu started twitching. That's when we realized what Kakashi meant when he said we'd figure it out." Chouji shook his head trying to get the frightening image out of his head, "I grabbed him and threw him in the box before anything bad happened."

Shikamaru sighed, "That's a relief. I hadn't considered the possibility of his aura remaining active after he was killed. I should have known. The second he didn't bleed when he was stabbed, I should have known."

Chouji could hear the disappointment in his voice. "You can't analyze everything, Shikamaru. We're still standing and he isn't. Everything else doesn't matter."

He smiled. The mind of his teammate was so beautifully simple. 'Or perhaps I just over think things sometimes.' The genius thought. "You're right, Chouji. I'll keep learning from my mistakes and do everything right next time."

His friend grinned and nodded, but wouldn't meet his eye. A rare uncomfortable silence echoed between the duo. "What is it, Chouji? You know I'll find out sooner or later."

"Huh?" The Akimichi jumped.

"I know you're hiding something. Tell me what it is."

Chouji's head dropped in resignation. "There won't be a next time, Shikamaru."

This was interesting, "What do you mean?" He asked.

"The Akimichi Soldier Pill." The large man replied. "The excessive amount of chakra was more than your chakra network could handle." He racked his brain trying to think of how to tell his friend what happened. "Ino explained to me that it was like a water hose with a hole in it. Every time water goes through the hose, some water escapes through the hole. If there are enough holes, then not enough water goes where the user desired."

"And likewise, every time I try to use chakra it would leak out before I could form it properly." Shikamaru stated, catching on to the metaphor. "Even if I could still perform a technique, because of the leaks it would cost me significantly more chakra to do so, and therefore would limit my usefulness as a shinobi. I would only be a burden to the rest of the squad."

"Yeah, something like that." Chouji responded.

Shikamaru thought for what seemed a long while, "Interesting."

"What is?"

Well, the whole time I was in the academy I wished I was just a civilian with no worries and no obligations. Now that I had begun taking my responsibility as a shinobi seriously, I'm being granted my childhood wish when I no longer want it."

"So, what will you do?" The large ninja asked.

'I'll find some way to help. My mind still seems to be what it once was even if my body isn't. Maybe I can be a full-time strategist or adviser for someone. I'll even help you and Ino come up with a new formation with whoever joins your squad."

"It won't be the same without you, Shikamaru."

"I know, but it is what it is and we have to adapt. Wishful thinking won't change anything." He replied.

A nurse entered, interrupting their conversation, "I need to run some bloodwork, and after that, Shikamaru will need to rest. You'll need to leave now, Chouji-san."

Chouji looked back to Shikamaru as he stood, "So, it's really over then, isn't it?"

"I've never been much of an optimistic, but yeah, I think it is." He responded.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Shikamaru."

"'Til then, Chouji." He exited the room, leaving the Nara alone to face yet another barrage of tests. 'How troublesome...'

…...

After getting off yet another shift at the hospital, Sakura made her way back to her apartment. Aside from some light construction and a new layer of paint, the building made it through the battle with luckily no structural damage. 'I suppose that is the only benefit of living on the fringe of town.' Closing her door, she leaned against it for a moment, glad to have something help hold up her weary frame.

The hospital had ebbed in the twelve days since the village was attacked. More and more of the wounded were stabilized and released with only one additional fatality whose injuries were too severe to do more than comfort his passing. Missions were at an all time low due to the death of Tsunade, so it was rare that anything more exciting than a tummy ache fell in her lap. Nonetheless, she had been working more than usual at the hospital since 'The End' as she had been referring to it.

The obvious attempt to busy her mind from troubling thoughts was as successful as anyone might imagine; an abysmal failure. Every blonde she saw reminded her of his golden hair, every random shout she would imagine to be him shouting her name, and every cheerful child running through the street reminded her of his playful nature. Every baby reminded her of the family they would never have and every Konoha headband reminded her of why he had sacrificed himself.

She slumped and crumbled to the ground, her back still against the door as tears fell from her eyes. In public, with all her friends and patients around her, it was easy enough to keep a smile on her face, but here, alone, without him, she couldn't hold back the storm of tears that dwelled within her. She knew that he made the right choice and that the village was more important than either of them, but a part of her still felt that the greater good be damned and that she would have been alright with just him.

Still, she refused to sink into any form of depression. Every second she lived was a gift from Naruto, and she would not spend any more of it than she had to moping about. Naruto brought happiness to everyone he met, and she intended to do her best to honor him by doing the same. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she stood once more and headed towards the kitchen to fix a snack before retiring for the evening.

Her thoughts were a convoluted jumble of memories and images that made even the simplest tasks taxing. Twice she forgot where she placed something and she even spent nearly ten minutes looking for a spoon that she had been carrying with her the whole time. She stopped and took a deep breath to stop from screaming. However, the lack of movement allowed even more of her concentration to focus on the one memory she couldn't stand repeating.

_Flashback (OC – Outskirts of The Valley of the End – The Return Journey)_

_And just like that, they were gone. She was fearful for a moment that Naruto wouldn't manage that last surge of power needed to push Madara into the portal, but as usual, he came through. Along with the two figures, all sound seemed to vanish with them. She wasn't sure how long they stood there, but it was Kakashi that first spoke._

"_We need to go. The village needs to know what happened here."_

_Sakura tried to pull her eyes away from where the void had been, but couldn't bring herself to look away from the last place she would ever see Naruto. Eventually, the medic inside of her took over. The numbness that came with her healer mentality was a fresh sensation to the pain in her heart. "You should rest. I'm surprised you are even conscious with your chakra level. And I'm worried about your eye as well."_

_He waved her comment off, "All the more reason to get to the village as soon as possible. The quicker we get there, the sooner I can get myself checked into the hospital."_

_Reluctantly, she agreed. It would be faster to travel than to argue anyway. "Alright. At least take a soldier pill. You'll be a burden to us otherwise."_

_He nodded and accepted the capsule she handed him. Looking back over her shoulder, she saw Hinata still staring at the location where Naruto and Madara had traveled to another dimension._

"_Are they dead?" The Hyuuga asked._

"_No, they aren't dead. They are just in a place where Madara can't harm us anymore." The exhausted Kakashi replied._

"_Hinata, let's go. I need you to help Kakashi. Even with the soldier pill, he won't be able to move very fast on his own." _

_The comforting tone that Sakura spoke with brought the heiress out of her reverie. Shaking her head to clear it, she returned her focus to the present. "Right, no problem." She walked over and ducked under the copy-nin's right arm, allowing the man's left hand to continue cupping his injured eye. Without another word, the three ninja set out, with only Sakura taking a final look over her shoulder at what would be known as 'The Immortal Plain.'_

_End Flashback_

That trip home had been the longest journey of her life. The smell of smoke pulled her back to the present. "Damn it." She groaned before tossing her now burnt meal in the trash. While debating whether to restart her dinner, there was a knock on her door. She opened the door revealing an ANBU guard.

"Sakura-san, your presence is requested with the elder council."

"Where?"

"The new headquarters is located in the Academy for the time being. I am supposed to escort you to the council."

The kunoichi rubbed her forehead with her hand in an attempt to rub the weariness away. "Okay, I'm coming."

The ANBU waited outside after delivering his message for her to get ready, leaving Sakura alone yet again. Before her thoughts could overwhelm her again, she grabbed her bag and left her apartment with the ANBU on her tail, still hungry and tired. It was unusual for the council to be calling for her. She had already given her full account on what had occurred in the final battle. She couldn't imagine what else they would want to talk to her about.

It was only a few blocks to the Academy from where she lived. Her alma mater took a good beating from the invasion, but several of the buildings still stood and the school was well located for a base. When she arrived, her ANBU guide moved ahead of her to show her the way. Sakura was led past the classrooms to the offices that she rarely visited. She could hear voices coming from inside one of the doors. The ANBU knocked on the door and the discussion immediately ceased. After a short while, someone from inside said, "Enter."

When she did as requested she saw a group of nine seated on the same side of a table. "Sakura, so good of you to come. Please have a seat." Homura gestured to the empty chair on the other side of the table with his hand.

She approached the table and sat in the lone chair facing the council. "I wasn't exactly left with a choice." She said with a sigh, "What can I do for you."

A few of the council members looked at each other before answering her question, "We would like your opinion on a matter of great importance. Who do you feel should be our next Hokage?"

Sakura's eyes shot open in shock. That had been the last thing she expected them to ask her. "Why do you want my opinion? Surely there are others who are wiser than me you could ask."

"And yet we asked for you." Koharu said impatiently, "Now, will you answer our question or not?"

She blurted the first man worthy in her eyes that came to her mind. "What about Kakashi?"

"Yes, he was one of our first considerations as well." One of the female members spoke from the right, "However, due to his recent injury, we feel he is no longer capable of fulfilling the role."

Anger rose in Sakura at how easily her sensei was insulted. "Just because he lost his sharingan doesn't mean he's useless. Don't forget, he became a jounin before he ever got his eye when he was younger than I am now." She huffed, "He's still one of the strongest shinobi in this village and I dare any of you to challenge him if you think otherwise." The kunoichi eyed each council member individually, seeing what they would think of her heated response.

"Who else might you recommend?" Homura asked.

"What about a clan head such as Hiashi Hyuuga or Shikaku Nara?" Sakura offered.

"A wise idea." Added another member, "One who has led his clan has proven his sense of responsibility and would surely make a good Hokage. However, Hiashi has refused saying there is no suitable replacement as head of the Hyuuga. Shikaku has likewise turned down the offer stating that he sees situations better from the sidelines, and while he would be happy to provide advice and insight, he would be uncomfortable making the decisions a Hokage is obligated to make."

Sakura was getting annoyed by this little game. "Why ask my opinion just to tell me that my answer is wrong? Hurry up and get to your point already."

Koharu chuckled, "You really are her apprentice."

"Huh?"

"The same strength, same passion for healing, even the same temper and impatience." She continued.

"You asked us to get to the point and here it is." Homura said changing topics, "We want you to take over your master's place as Hokage."

Nothing could have prepared her for that statement. Her jaw dropped and her breath fled as if she had been hit in the gut by a sledgehammer. She kept opening her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

Smirking at her response, Homura continued, "Surprised? Well, don't be. As the Hokage's apprentice, you are one of the few in the village who has been exposed to the underbelly of what it is to be Hokage. You have been present for countless meetings where you have learned the subtle art of negotiation and formality. And Tsunade has no doubt had you help her with her paperwork, am I right?"

"Yes, but-"

"And, you are widely recognized as one of the most powerful kunoichis in Konoha. You skill in Medical Ninjutsu is unmatched and the intelligence you display on and off the battlefield will serve you well as Hokage."

"But that was-"

"And most importantly," He interrupted again, "Your performance at the hospital and our perception of your personality has convinced us of your genuine caring nature. We believe that you have what it takes to lead these people with what they need most; a gentle heart."

This time she didn't have an excuse to offer. She paused, letting his reasoning soak in. "You're serious, aren't you?"

Koharu was the one to respond this time, "Of course we are serious. The title of Hokage is not something to joke about."

Sakura had promised herself that she would honor Naruto with the life he gave her, and she could think of no better way to do that than to fulfill his dream to become Hokage. "I'll do it."

Homura clapped his hands in approval, "Then it's decided. We took the liberty of scheduling an appointment for you with the master sculptor to have your likeness engraved on the Hokage mountain next to Tsunade-sama."

"How did you know I would accept?" The medic-nin asked.

"Lets just say we knew you would do the right thing."

Reading between the words, Sakura assumed that with the refusals of Shikaku and Hiashi, they were running out of options for Hokage. She mentally grumbled at the audacity of the council, but agreed to meet with the sculptor in the morning.

The next day, she arrived at the address provided for her and knocked on the door. It was answered by a man in his forties who quickly invited her inside.

"Ah ha! Right on time! I've been expecting you, Sakura-san. Please, come in!" He said.

She entered slowly, still mystified at why she was here. "Good morning. I've never done anything like this before. I'm a little out of my element here."

"Don't worry, my dear. Tsunade said the same thing when I first met with her as well. Please have a seat."

"She did?" She asked as she did as requested.

"Why yes! Even the Fourth couldn't stand a single moment while I was capturing his image." He grabbed some tools from his desk and sat down opposite her.

Sakura jumped, "The Fourth? You met the Fourth Hokage?"

"Why, of course! Who do you think put his face on that mountain?" The sculptor laughed as he began to draw.

The kunoichi couldn't hold in her surprise, "That was more than seventeen years ago!"

He smiled, "Yes, I was only twenty-two then. My father had just passed on his trade to me when they announced Minato to be the Fourth." His eyes lost their focus as he thought of his past. The sculptor shook his head, "I still don't feel I did 'The Yellow Flash' justice." He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "But I've gotten much better since then, and I promise that your image on that mountain will shine with every ounce of the beauty that shines from your face.'

Sakura blushed slightly, "Thank you, master sculptor."

"Please, call me Kikamaru. I'll never match up to the skill of my father." He said.

"I'm sure you'll do great." The pink-haired nin was still stuck on the fact that this man had met the Fourth Hokage; Naruto's father. "What was he like? The Fourth?"

Kikamaru thought for a moment, "He was a great man; humble, kind, and loyal to a fault. I'll forever be in debt to him for the sacrifice he made for this village." He shook his head in sadness, "It's a shame that his son had to suffer the same fate."

"You knew that the Fourth was Naruto's father?" Sakura blurted.

The sculptor chuckled, "You're going to have to learn to hide your surprise better if you're going to be a good Hokage, Sakura-san." he turned to face her directly, "Yes, I knew. Even if he wasn't the spitting image of his dad with that unruly hair and blue eyes, I would've still recognized that free spirit of his anywhere."

She knew what he meant. Aside from always being care free, Naruto had the uncanny ability to positively affect everyone he met. "Yeah, that spirit is pretty unique."

"Exactly!" Kikamaru exclaimed. He sobered before continuing, "That boy, he always used to deface the Hokage mountain, disgracing my work and that of my father; disgracing the memories of the great leaders of our village. I hated him for it at first." A certain pride came to his eyes, "But I knew that one day, his father's blood would shine through and he would change our world for the better."

Sakura felt a tear fall down her cheek. It felt so good to hear Naruto spoken of with such admiration. "We would all be dead twice over if not for him." One tear became several, and soon, she couldn't stop.

"You loved him?"

"Yes." She managed between sobs.

Kikamaru placed a hand on her shoulder, "My dear, I'm so sorry. I didn't know. Please forgive me."

Finally bringing her wayward emotions under control, she waved off his apology. "It's fine. It's just the way you spoke of him, it was touching."

"He would have made a great Hokage, if he'd been given the chance. It should be his face I'm sculpting, No offense intended, Sakura-san."

"No, you're right." Sakura's eye's widened as an idea popped into her head. "Why don't you?"

"What?"

"Why don't you put his face on the mountain?" She asked.

Kikamaru was looking at her like she was crazy, "Are you insane? The council would never let me near that mountain again! It's all I have left of my father, I can't give that up."

"Think about it! You know he deserves it. The whole village idolizes Naruto!" Sakura argued, "Sure the council will flip, but I promise I won't let them punish you. I'll take full responsibility. Hell, tell them I threatened you, I don't care! You'd be doing the right thing and you know it!"

The sculptor remained silent for several moments. Under her protection, there wasn't much the council could do to punish him. She would certainly get an earful though. And besides, Naruto really did deserve it. "Who am I to refuse the Hokage?"

Before she knew it she was hugging the man, "Thank you! I swear you won't regret this."

"First day as Hokage and you are already negotiating like a pro!" He quipped. "I'm glad it was you they chose to be our village's leader. If you truly loved Naruto like I believe you did, then a part of him will be guiding Konoha as well."

Releasing him, she said, "Thank you again, Kikamaru."

"It's my honor. Now, sit still. Art has enough troubles without a wiggling subject!"

…...

Three Months Later

…...

"Ever since our forefathers built this great village, we have thrived on the wisdom and strength of our leaders to guide us through times of peace and times of war. Today we celebrate..."

Sakura yawned as she tried and failed to wait patiently while Homura gave his speech to the village announcing her as the next Hokage. The speech that should have only consisted of six words, 'Sakura Hanuro is the new Hokage,' had turned into a half hour long ordeal that would have put her to sleep had she not been anticipating the revelation of her countenance on the Hokage Mountain.

"Our village has suffered much. Countless times Konoha has been threatened with annihilation. But we still stand. And we will continue to stand regardless of the adversity against us. We will..."

She couldn't keep her focus on the monologue. Every few seconds she would glance at the stone that was still covered in tarp to hide the art beneath until the designated time. Kikamaru had told her that just like a woman on her wedding night, the statues would look their best at the appropriate moment.

The kunoichi's attention returned to the old man as his speech drew to a close, "And now, if you will all look upon our honored Hokage, I give to you, the face of our Sixth Hokage, Sakura Hanuro!"

The expected applause did not follow. Slightly befuddled, Homura turned around to view the structure himself. He deadpanned. Shock overwhelmed him as he looked upon not one, but two new sculptors added to the mountain. "What's going on here?" He turned round and round, looking for someone to blame. Eventually his eye found Kikamaru.

"You! You did this! I'll have your head for this you little ingrate-"

"You'll do no such thing." Sakura interrupted, coming to the sculptor's defense. "He was only doing as I requested."

"As you requested!?" He struggled to hold in his anger since the crowd was still watching them.

"Yes. It was my decision and I'll take responsibility for any repercussions." She nodded her head towards the crowd, "Look, this village needs a hero right now. We've got the whole village assembled. I say we let them decide whether Naruto deserves to be on that mountain or not." Sakura didn't flinch as his glare tried to dig into her skull.

"Fine. We'll leave it up to them. But not a word from you. I won't have you persuading them that this defamation is a good thing!"

The kunoichi nodded, "Very well. I accept your terms." She waved to the podium. "It's all yours, councilor."

The rage in his eyes remained on her for a few additional moments before he went to address the public. "My fellow citizens, This is an outrage!"

So much for not persuading the crowd...

"Never before in our history has someone defiled our history, or disgraced our ancestors in such a way!" He began, "Never has anyone dishonored our past Hokage in such a way."

Several of the citizens looked at one another trying to figure out how to respond.

Homura pressed on relentlessly, "Only a Hokage has earned the right to have their place on that mountain! Only a Hokage has gone through the trials to prove himself worthy of that honor!" He looked back at Sakura, daring her to intervene. When she failed to do so, he continued. "We, the council did not acknowledge this young boy! We deny any part of this travesty."

The villagers looked more confused than ever at the councilman's words. Were they supposed to agree?

"I promise you, this outrage shall not go unpunished! I will not rest until everyone responsible for this sinister act has been brought to justice. Are you with me, Konoha! Would you acknowledge this mere boy? Would you allow the Nine Tailed Demon a place of honor among our Hokage? Or would you restore honor to our past leaders?" Homura raised his arms in triumph as he concluded his 'unbiased speech.'

True to her word, Sakura remained silent as the villagers considered the councilor's words. However, her eyes darted from citizen to citizen in an attempt to gauge their reaction. Ten seconds went by, the twenty and still no one spoke. Finally, one voice echoed throughout the area.

"NARUTO-NII-CHAN!" Quick as lightning, a ninja dashed to the front of the crowd.

Sakura smiled. Count on Konohamaru to be the first to stand up for his 'big brother.'

"Naruto! It has been an honor having you as my rival!" Rock Lee shouted before joining the young shinobi.

Shikamaru stepped forward as well. "Hmph, What a drag."

Soon, all that remained of the Konoha Eleven, minus Naruto and the fallen Tenten came forward and stood in favor of the Uzumaki monument. Before long they were followed by several of leaf shinobi. Thirty now stood in favor.

Homura didn't appear worried yet. Sakura assumed that he figured that if only Naruto's friend's were in favor, that the village's overwhelming hatred of the Nine-tails would turn them to his side. But that was where he was wrong.

If only Naruto's friends stood up for him, the nearly the entire village would come forward and count themselves among his many friends. Most of the fury that the people one had for the blonde was replaced with loyalty and acceptance.

As she predicted, a lone citizen began to clap. Another joined in, then another, until the applause roared like thunder. The kunoichi had been nearly certain the villagers would respond this way, but she had to admit it was a relief to see their reaction with her own eyes.

Homura stood still, for once, speechless, at the Leaf's response. Sakura took the moment to approach the podium and address the crowd herself. "Then it's settled! Naruto will remain on the Hokage mountain, in a place of honor among our great Hokage! And we, the Leaf village acknowledge him as our savior against Madara Uchiha and the Akatsuki!"

Cheers exploded from the villagers at her brief proclamation. When the shouts died off, Homura leaned in to whisper something in her ear, "Consider this my resignation, Lady Hokage."

It was easy to ignore the venom in his voice with what had just occurred. He left to be replaced by Shikamaru. Hands in his pockets, he spoke, "That was a risky gamble, Sakura."

"Perhaps." She replied, "Nonetheless, I don't regret it."

The Nara looked to where the elder was still marching away grumpy, "You lost an ally in him. He may have been old and stuck in his ways, but he's a survivor. He's gotten this village through some hard times before."

Sakura sighed, "I don't want the village to survive, Shikamaru. I want it to live."

He nodded, "I understand. It's what he would have wanted."

She nodded back in a silent thanks, "Yeah, it is." They shared a comfortable silence for a time as they remembered their lost friend. "You could replace Homura on the council, you know."

"Kinda figured you'd ask. I'm not much use as a shinobi anymore anyway."

"I'm sorry, Shikamaru. Maybe if Tsunade were still alive-"

"You're every bit the medic she was. If she were still alive, nothing would change, except for maybe Homura's ability to walk..."

Despite herself, she laughed. She found herself again staring at Naruto's face on the mountain. Kikamaru really had outdone himself. She could almost see the gleam in his eye as if he was about to bust out in laughter at any moment. Unlike the other Hokage's, he had a wide smile on his face. As long as Konoha was okay, he would keep smiling for all eternity. "Why did he leave me all alone?"

"Because he knew who The King was." Shikamaru responded simply. "It took me years to figure out what he knew all along. It isn't you or me that matters. It's the next generation, and the Will of Fire that we have to protect."

The pressures of leading a village crashed down on her again. "Do you really think we'll be okay, Shikamaru?"

Sensing her rare vulnerable state, he chose his words carefully. "We'll be fine. It isn't so easy to extinguish the Will of Fire. You saw great proof of that today. One day, you''ll die and I'll die, and the next generation will be even stronger than we were. Even if another threat emerges, somehow our village will come through."

Somehow, his words put her at ease, "You're right. We'll get through this together."

Shikamaru patted her on the shoulder, "Come on, Everyone's getting together at Ichiraku in honor on Naruto. I'll buy your first round."

Sakura smiled, "I'd like that." Taking a final look at Naruto's face next to hers and his father's, she followed her new adviser to join her friends, to remember the man who would forever be the village's first step towards peace.

Author's Note: At first I was going to Have Naruto be post-humorously named the Sixth Hokage while sakura took the seventh, but we kinda decided it was a little cliché to do so. This way, Naruto still gets the acknowledgment he always sought in a more realistic way. I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Please review to let me know what you thought! I respond to all reviews, because I have no life! The story isn't done yet. I still have at least one more chapter left, if not one more chapter and an epilogue. Thanks for reading!

Narp73.


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